Actively Being Still, Knowing God Is God
by Paul Tautges | December 28, 2015 11:00 am
Psalm 46 exhorts us to “Be still and know that He is God,” but we often mistakenly equate being still with being passive. However, the opposite is true and necessary. Being still is much like waiting on the Lord; it’s an active discipline. Actively being still is a remedy for sinful fear, it is a means of replacing fear with fear, which is, fearing the Lord more than we fear anything, or anyone, else. That is the theme of the book, Courage: Fighting Fear with Fear[1], by Wayne and Joshua Mack.
In Chapter 12, “Yes, but How?”, the authors teach us that fighting fear requires meditation on truth which, in turn, trains us to know God and grow in our understanding of who He is. By doing this, we grow in the fear of the Lord. Six important truths are given to us to think deeply upon.
- Be still, and reflect on our own sinfulness, unworthiness, and inadequacy. “Again and again throughout Scripture God reminds us of how desperately wicked and undeserving we are apart from Him and His grace. Read through Romans 1-3; Ephesians 2; Colossians 1-3; 1 Timothy 1; and 2 Timothy 3; and note what these passages say about your nature.”
- Be still, and ponder God’s so great salvation (Heb. 2:3). “The apostle Peter believed that an understanding of and a reflection upon our so great redemption should motivate us to live all our lives in the fear of God (1 Peter 1:17-19).
- Be still, and think about God’s attributes. “If you stop thinking about God or if you think of Him wrongly (i.e. unbiblically), His influence in your life will be minimized, if not eliminated all together.” Read Isaiah 6:1-8; Revelation 1:12-19; Exodus 34:8).
- Be still, and reflect on the mighty works of God. “The connection between doing this and developing godly fear is clearly illustrated in Exodus 14:31….If you want to develop and sustain a healthy fear of God, be still, and reflect often on the mighty acts of God.”
- Be still, and reflect on the judgments that God has sometimes pronounced on men for their lack of godly fear. “Study, for example, the story of Nadab and Abihu found in Leviticus 10:1-3. These men were burned to death with fire from heaven because they trifled with God and His worship.”
- Be still, and reflect on the blessings God has brought into your life and into the lives of others. “Psalm 67 indicates that when people observe the blessings of God in the lives of others they are motivated to fear God. It declares, ‘God blesses us, that all the ends of the earth may fear Him’ (Ps 67:7)….This same concept is repeated in Psalm 40:1-3.”
Being still before the Lord requires us to consistently meditate on biblical truth in order that we may know God, and even ourselves, more fully. As we do so, we grow in our childlike trust in Him to overcome all our fears.
Related
Endnotes:- Courage: Fighting Fear with Fear: https://www.biblicalcounselingbooks.com/products/courage-fighting-fear-with-fear?_pos=1&_sid=77cb2ed26&_ss=r
Source URL: https://counselingoneanother.com/2015/12/28/actively-being-still-knowing-god-is-god/
Actively Being Still, Knowing God Is God
by Paul Tautges | December 28, 2015 11:00 am
Psalm 46 exhorts us to “Be still and know that He is God,” but we often mistakenly equate being still with being passive. However, the opposite is true and necessary. Being still is much like waiting on the Lord; it’s an active discipline. Actively being still is a remedy for sinful fear, it is a means of replacing fear with fear, which is, fearing the Lord more than we fear anything, or anyone, else. That is the theme of the book, Courage: Fighting Fear with Fear[1], by Wayne and Joshua Mack.
In Chapter 12, “Yes, but How?”, the authors teach us that fighting fear requires meditation on truth which, in turn, trains us to know God and grow in our understanding of who He is. By doing this, we grow in the fear of the Lord. Six important truths are given to us to think deeply upon.
Being still before the Lord requires us to consistently meditate on biblical truth in order that we may know God, and even ourselves, more fully. As we do so, we grow in our childlike trust in Him to overcome all our fears.
Related
Source URL: https://counselingoneanother.com/2015/12/28/actively-being-still-knowing-god-is-god/