Stand Still

(I would like to dedicate this to my dear and long-time friend and sister in Christ, "Lester."  Even if we're standing still, it's good to have a loved one by our side.  Stand still with me, Lester, and one day He'll show us the way forward.)

When we're thrown curve balls by the world, our first instinct is to move.  We feel driven to do something; to take action, to rush into a defensive posture to protect ourselves.  To do nothing seems foolish and would only compound the problem, so we drive ourselves looking for solutions to the point of emotional and spiritual exhaustion.

Recently, I was thrown such a curve ball.  I felt like the Israelites standing on the shore of the Red Sea with their enemies approaching their rear, ready to drive them into the briny deep and to at last be rid of them.  My first instinct was to rush into the frothy, turbulent waves and attempt to swim to safety.  But I knew it would be a fool's errand.  The breadth of the sea was too wide.  The depth of its dark waters too deep.  The fierceness with which the tide surged too great.  I looked to the left and to the right but only saw an endless shoreline that guaranteed me nothing but more pursuit by the enemy.  So I stood trembling on the shore, hearing the roar of the approaching enemy, and cried out to my God.

"Stand still," He whispered.

But my mind raced with thoughts of why, why, why...how...where...what.

"Stand still," He said again and I heard His voice.

His presence enveloped me in gentle waves of peace, unburdening me of what the next day would bring.

And I obeyed.

When I finally stood still, I realized that I had been trying to accomplish things on my own using my own power.  Like the Jewish tribes that stood on the banks of the sea, I only heard the voice of my enemy and my own.  Salvation lay beyond the sea, but my thoughts were centered on the rough grains of sand beneath my feet and the thundering approach of indecision, doubt, anxiety, and, yes, unbelief.

The following devotion by Charles H. Spurgeon has carried me the last few weeks.  I awoke this morning with troubling thoughts about how the next year would play out.  Before rising, I tossed and turned and prayed and pleaded.  Uncertainty and worry, which have always been poor traits of mine, clung to my mind with fierceness and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't dispel them

Then I heard in the center of my heart His words once again:

"Stand still."

And this time, He told me to watch how great and how long is His arm.

"Stand still with Me.  Watch with Me.  Wait with Me.  I 'will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.' "

Yes, oh yes, LORD!  I will!

"And Moses said to the people, 'Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will work for you today.' " ~ Exodus 14:13a

"These words contain God's command to the believer when he is reduced to great straits and brought into extraordinary difficulties.  He cannot retreat; he cannot go forward; he is shut up on the right hand and on the left; what is he now to do?

"The Master's word to him is, 'Stand still.'  It will be well for him if at such times he listens only to his Master's word, for other and evil advisers come with their suggestions:

"Despair whispers, 'Lie down and die; give it all up.'  But God would have us put on a cheerful courage, and even in our worst times, rejoice in His love and faithfulness.

"Cowardice says, 'Retreat; go back to the worldling's way of action; you cannot play the Christian's part, it is too difficult.  Relinquish your principles.'

"But, however much Satan may urge this course upon you, you cannot follow it if you are a child of God.  His divine fiat has bid thee go from strength to strength, and so thou shalt, and neither death nor hell shall turn thee from thy course.

"What if, for a while, thou art called to stand still, yet this is but to renew thy strength for some greater advance in due time?  Precipitancy cries, 'Do something!  Stir yourself; to stand still and wait is sheer idleness.'  We must be doing something at once - we must do it so we think, instead of looking to the LORD, who will not only do something but will do everything.

"Presumption boasts, 'If the sea be before you, march into it and expect a miracle.'  But Faith listens neither to Presumption, nor to Despair, nor to Cowardice, nor to Precipitancy, but it hears God say, 'STAND STILL,' and immovable as a rock it stands.

" 'STAND STILL;' - keep the posture of an upright man, ready for action, expecting further orders, cheerfully and patiently awaiting the directing voice; and it will not be long ere God shall say to you, as distinctly as Moses said it to the people of Israel...

" 'GO FORWARD.' "

Kindle the Fire of Your Reading List

I was given a basic Kindle as a gift a while back.  I'm not one who is into all the new techno-gadgets that flood the marketplace.  There are far too many of them and once you buy the latest, greatest innovation, it becomes obsolete and out-dated minutes after you purchase it.  We've all felt the sting of that marketing ploy with the purchase of a computer that is touted as the best on the market, only to discover that the store you bought it at is only trying to clear the shelves for the next latest, greatest computer waiting in the storeroom to be revealed to the world of suckers flooding through their door.

Cell phones are another burr under my proverbial saddle.  IPhones, IPads, Blue Ray, texting, photo and video-taking, I-can't-live-without-it, doodads are glued to the ears and hands of everyone I know.  A plethora of applications are downloaded onto them to amuse, entertain, compel, and rob their users of the old-fashioned method of communication: eye-to-eye contact and time spent actually speaking to the person in front of them.  I saw a joke a while back (which I considered to be more truth than humor) about there being an application for that, as well.  When you have someone before you wanting to carry on a conversation with you, turn off the offensive thing.

Sorry.  I'm wandering.  Back to the topic at hand.

Although I prefer to hold a bound book in my hand and leaf through its pages, enjoying the feel and smell of the word-filled paper, and relishing the ease with which I can refer back to a particular chapter or page, I have enjoyed the Kindle.  If owning it has changed anything, my overstuffed book cupboard is no longer cluttered with piles of already read books of which I refuse to rid myself.  And Amazon is constantly adding new editions to their growing list of e-books, giving us a wide variety of authors and genres.  I probably would have not purchased a Kindle on my own, but I am glad that I have it.  Mainly because I like to read in bed and the light has always bothered my husband.

After receiving the Kindle, I discovered the inexpensive and free books Amazon has made available to us and downloaded a few free classics.  Great Expectations, A Tale of Two Cities, Uncle Tom's Cabin, and others have renewed my appreciation for good literature.  In fact, I would go so far as to say that re-reading them has made me realize how much bad literature is in today's market.  It's no wonder that the English language has devolved to the degree it has.  Modern attempts at well-written prose is feeble, at best, and it's a rare occasion that one finds a well-structured story line that's worthy of the time it takes to read it; not to mention the evidence of poor grammar, sentence structure, deplorable punctuation, bad editing, and the inability to convey the plot or purpose to its conclusion.  In short, I highly recommend to all my friends a return to a time when the ability to write a good book was the norm, rather than the exception.

My Kindle has a second, but more important, purpose.  I am fast filling it with Christian apologetics, devotions, and studies from both past and current theologians who were and are devoted to preaching and teaching the truth of God.  I begin and end my day reading the words of Charles H. Spurgeon, the "prince of preachers," whose ministry spanned the early to mid-1800's.  For less than $1.00, I was able to download a collection of six volumes of his work.  These types of books are often put into digital format by groups of volunteers, thus the poor application of punctuation can sometimes throw off phrasing.  But if you are one who understands the correct usage of punctuation, reading becomes easier as you skim over the errors without thinking about them.

One of the books contained in the collection is called "Morning and Evening, Daily Reading."  It contains short morning and evening devotions upon which to meditate and Spurgeon has yet to disappoint me in his application of spiritual content.   The richness with which he communicates Scripture and applies it to our lives and our walk with God feeds the hunger and thirst I have for His Word.  He once said in "Comments and Commentaries," another book in the collection that is taken from his keynote speaker address before a pastoral conference, that he wouldn't walk across the street to hear himself preach (humbleness at its best).  But I beg to differ with Mr. Spurgeon.  I also own a hard-bound 10-volume collection of his sermons that took me over a year to read, and our churches could use more like him.  If you're interested in obtaining this collection for your Kindle, search for "Christian Classics: Six Books by Charles H. Spurgeon."  It will be a dollar well spent.

However, I'm not limited to the church fathers and reformers.  I occasionally enjoy a good Christian fiction, but I advise caution when choosing them.  This post-modern, ecumenical, progressive atmosphere the church is finding itself in has also bookwormed its way into literature.  Amazon graciously will allow you a sampling of the book prior to purchase and I highly encourage everyone to take them at their offer.  Claims of Christian content, titles and synopses can be deceiving.  Don't waste your money, your time, or potentially damage your spirituality by purchasing a book you later find to be full of poor doctrine, or worse, heresy and apostasy.

The only book I'm having trouble deciding to add to my Kindle is a Bible.  I can see some usefulness by having one there and I know the translation I would prefer.  But as is sometimes the case with Kindles, it's frustrating to "thumb" through the pages and find that passage you need.  As it is with my old-fashioned preference of holding a book in my hands, I desire that this Book is cradled there, as well.  There's something about feeling the heaviness of it in my hands and the weight of the words contained within it.  I have become so familiar with its pages that my fingers are adept at locating the verse or passage I desire to read, exerting no more effort than raising my right hand and placing it close to, if not on, the exact spot.  If I do download a Bible, I'm sure that there would be an overabundance of bookmarks and highlights on my Kindle version - if my Kindle would even allow such a number (I've discovered that some e-book publishers have a set number of highlights that can be made).

Whether you own a Kindle, or not, and simply love to read, kindle the fire of your reading list.  Don't limit your reading enjoyment to one genre, or pointless, inane manuscripts that only entertain without purpose, or worse, conjure an unhealthy imagination.  Add to your "collections" those books that are edifying, those that feed your soul, and reject those that turn you away from Godliness.  Choose your authors wisely and the content of your book with discretion, but mix it up for your reading pleasure.

It's been said that everyone has a story to tell and many have attempted to tell it in book form.  Not all have succeeded and only a few have been lauded in history as the greatest story tellers.  But good literature, whether fiction or non-fiction, is available if one is diligent in his search for it.  My latest purchase?  The Complete Novels of Robert Louis Stevenson.  I'm confident it will be another $1.00 well spent.

Somewhere on the horizon are pages filled with words waiting to be read that will enliven your imagination, fill you with adventure and intrigue, take you on journeys untold, and nourish your relationship with God.

All you have to do is turn the page.

Thanks for the Kindle, Mom.