By Marni Montanez
Psalm 37:7 New International Version
Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
There is a depth of grace that will keep our hearts steadfast even in the mist of dreams that are seemingly dying. As we remain in that grace, we have strength to look away from the temptations around us and choose what is in God’s open hands. He offers us a closeness with Him that is without limits. Closeness with God inspires us to reach for a higher purpose which the world does not have in its possession to offer. God’s presence is the territory that is ours to dwell in and it provides us with all we need to continue on our spiritual journey. In this presence there is no need for sound or sight. It is a place of knowing. When we come to that place of supreme comfort we then have a vantage point to see clearly what we really are missing in the world; absolutely nothing. We see that the prosperity of evil is short lived and fraudulent, but if our spirit and soul live as part of the world, we look at prosperity through the eyes of deception.
It is in our striving that stillness becomes uncomfortable. God’s desire is for us is to prosper in Him where there is abundant life filled with the riches of His power and peace. Nowhere on earth will we find lasting satisfaction. All that is in the world, of the world or by the world is temporal and without meaning. The world to it’s core reeks of greed and selfishness. We must ground ourselves in God’s love. We must have quiet assurance of His power through us and live each day in His grace.
Challenge: Meditate on scripture about what God offers us. Not only be still before the Lord, but calm yourself so that you find the peace in trusting the Lord.
God bless
Marni
Go on to: Psalm 42:2 My Soul Thirsts
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The purpose of this series is to encourage people to live as loving, compassionate, and peacemaking children of God: Jesus tells us to pray, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:10) God tells us through Micah (6:8), "He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God." And we know from Revelation 21:4 that there will be no more mourning, or crying, or pain, or death. Thus, Christian living requires us to set the standards of these conditions here on earth for our fellow human beings, and for the other animals, as a witness to the rest of the world. To do otherwise is not Christian.