Let us praise Him by singing;
I Know not Why
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Let us turn to: Psalm 46:1-10
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, 3 though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.[c]
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. 5 God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. 6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
7 The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
8 Come and see what the Lord has done, the desolations he has brought on the earth. 9 He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields[d] with fire. 10 He says, ‘Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.’
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As we enter into a time of prayer let us sing: How Deep The Father Love
Let us pray
Father God, I come into your presence so aware of my human frailty and yet overwhelmed by your love for me. I thank you that there is no human experience that I might walk through where your love cannot reach me. If I climb the highest mountain you are there and yet if I find myself in the darkest valley of my life, you are there. Teach me today to love you more. Help me to rest in that love that asks nothing more than the simple trusting heart of a child. Let me rest and Just be still in your presence In Jesus name, Amen
Please take a few moment in personal prayer bringing to God your family, loved ones and friends to His throne. And then we will share together in The Lord's Prayer
Please share with me in the Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done;
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
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Before we go to the word, please sit back and enjoy The Staff Band bring to us: Prelude To Lavenham
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BE STILL
The last thing that most of us suffer from is a lack of information – the whole world is screaming for our attention. Sometimes, the quiet assurance that comes from a bit of peace and quiet just eludes us. Take advertising – armies of creative people who think up new, very clever ways of getting you and me to buy their products. Even supermarkets have large advertising stickers glued to the floor advertising products.
Things trying to get our attention just never stops. Our senses are being bombarded with thousands of messages, signals, ideas, requests and directions, EVERY DAY! And without knowing it, it ends up being a huge weight that we carry around. No wonder so many people are so exhausted. If only we could put the weight down and take a break for a while. And then keep on going. It’s true, isn’t it? The more that technology – like mobile phones, PCs, the internet, TVs, radio, all that stuff has made entertainment and information so accessible and so, the more we become slaves to them. There is some real upsides to all of those things. I love watching films, documentaries and wildlife, such as the Blue Planet. I like the fact that I can just pick up the phone and chat to loved ones. But I know we’ve lost something. We’ve lost the time to just be still and think. We’ve lost the time to rest the senses, to rest the mind, to rest the spirit, to reflect, to imagine, to dream.
A survey that was taken said that 70% of us believe in God. But I wonder whether it’s a real relationship, a real thing in life. Or whether for a lot of people, it’s a kind of a pie in the sky thing. A distant sort of faith thing. So, we have this belief or this faith, on the one hand. And we have this whole need for rest, peace, joy and wholeness, on the other. But a lot of people just never connect those two things. Never occurs to us to just connect those two things in life.
One of the things I love about the Hebrew culture is that they think and they speak in pictures. A few thousand years ago, there was a little passage written in book of Psalms, Psalm 46 where the writer wrote something like this:
Even when the earth is shaking and the mountains are falling into the sea. Even though the waters are roaring and foaming. Even though the nations are in uproar and the kingdoms are tottering. Even in the middle of all that, God has something to say.
The Hebrew nation were not a sea fearing people. So the idea of mountains falling into the ocean and waters roaring and foaming, that was a real fear for them. And the writer says, “In the middle of all the fear and turmoil that life brings, God has something to say with a voice that melts all that fear away.” It is like a river of gladness running through a city, with a power that stops wars and calms oceans. God has something to say into that condition and it’s this … “Be still and know that I am God.”
In that big cacophony of noise that we call life – where everyone is screaming at us and yelling at us. Where things are happening, and mountains are falling into the ocean, and people are criticising. Where people are fighting one another. Where there is friction on ever side. In the middle of all of that … a still, small, powerful voice, whispers into our hearts with unmistakable power … “Be still and know that I am God.
Just stop and pause for a minute. And in the depths of your soul, right deep down where you live, know that despite all the turmoil in your life. All the hurt you see around you, I am God and I am in control. I am here. I am with you. Believe it, because He has the power to bring you peace. With that one small statement, God connects one of our deepest needs – the need for peace, for quiet, for assurance – with the spiritual reality of who He is … of His love and His power.
It seems so crazy to me that there is so many people who believe in God, who believe in Jesus and their idea is that you kind of go to church on a Sunday and that’s it. You worship God in a sacred zone and that’s it. But that’s not in the Bible, that’s not what God says, that’s not what Jesus was talking about … “Be still and know that I am God.”
So often when things are raging around us, when people are raging, when life is difficult, when the baby’s crying, when there is tension in our relationships whether in Church, in family or with friends, we tend to focus on those circumstances. That’s all we can see. It’s the stress, it’s the pain, it’s the fear, it’s the hurt and we react to them. Because we see the mountains falling into the sea, because we see the oceans roaring and foaming. But God says in the middle of that, “Be still and let me speak to you, just in that little space and Know that I am God.”
In practice, I think that comes out in two parts. The first is carving out some time with God every day to connect with Him and that’s a decision. It’s your time. It’s your space. But it can be such a foundation, such a rock; to pray, listen and look. And then we go and live life out there. And the stuff that people and life throw at us, well, in the middle of all that we can experience, we can taste a peace that surpasses all understanding. A peace that guards our hearts and our minds because we know who God is in Jesus.
And my experience has been that in situations where (by rights), I shouldn’t have any peace, I look at it and I have the deepest peace and sense of security. Because earlier on in the day, I took time to be still, to rest my spirit and my mind, my heart and my soul in God’s hands.
And then sometimes during the day when it is difficult, I just glance towards God (just a split second is needed). I grab some stillness in a stressful moment. And in my soul, in my heart, somewhere I look at God and I get this quiet assurance, “Be still and just know that I am God. Just know that I am with you.” All it takes is a quick glance at Jesus to know that He has it all under control. God wants us to know something … “Be still, be still and know that I am God.” Amen
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Let us share together by singing: Be Still
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The Lord bless thee and keep thee
The Lord make His face to shine upon thee
And be gracious unto thee
The Lord lift up His countenance upon thee
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