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Probably the most difficult command for me to obey is: “Now then, stand still and see this great thing the Lord is about to do before your eyes!” (1 Samuel 12:16) Come on, Lord; why “stand still”? Why not “Get busy and do this and that and then you’ll see the great thing the Lord is about to do before your eyes”? That would be so much easier for me.
I don’t like standing still. I hate standing still. I love movement. I love busyness. I love activity. I love to-do lists. Let’s go; let’s make things happen. You can do it. Just keep on keepin’ on. Those words are music to my ears, but not “stand still.”
Why is it so hard for us to take our hands off and let God run the show? Well, it’s hard for me to stand still because I’m a controller. I want to be in charge. That’s my personality and I’m much more comfortable when I’m running things than when I’m having to take orders. Maybe you’re that way as well.
I’d rather drive than be a passenger; I’d rather give a presentation than listen to one; I’d rather lead than follow. So, I constantly struggle to take control of any situation I’m in. Therefore, “stand still and see this great thing the Lord is about to do before your eyes” is hard for me to do.
When you dig a little deeper under that personality trait, you discover that the need to control indicates you think you can do it better than anybody else and you don’t trust others as much as you do yourself. Ouch! There’s a lot of pride and sinfulness tucked in that controlling spirit, isn’t there? That’s part of the truth I have had to face about myself. Could it be that you’re in that same boat?
At one point in my life when I was going through a particularly difficult period of “standing still,” I would get frustrated and start to take action. And each time, as I would start taking the controls back in my own hands, I would hear the quiet voice of God in my mind saying to me, quite simply, “Can’t you trust me?”
That’s what it takes to stand still—it takes trust. And when you and I are willing to take our hands off, give up the control, and stand still, we are saying to Jesus, “I trust you. You’re smarter than I am. You can run this show better than I can.” And when we stand still and demonstrate our faith in him, he is pleased.
Want to please Jesus today? Stand still and give up the control and show him that you trust him. It’s time to stop and pray. But there is also a time to move.