Be Still And Know That I Am God
“And the Temple, when it was being built, was built with stone finished at the quarry, so that no hammer or chisel or any iron tool was heard in the temple while it was being built.”
1 Kings 6: 7 (NKJV)
This scripture tells us that when Solomon’s temple was being built, the building blocks were finished at the quarry so that noise of tools would not be heard at the Temple site. The relative quiet would be consistent with the sacredness of the undertaking. Paul likens God’s people to a temple that is under construction as a dwelling place for God: “Now, therefore you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a habitation of God in the Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:19-22 NKJV)
I believe that there are times when this spiritual temple needs to be built up through quietness. We live in a noisy world. Silence and solitude are not words describing the 21st century; instead they fit the era of Victorian lace, high button boots, and oil lamps, better than our age of TV, loud music, mobile phones, i-pods and all the other gadgets we own today. It seems that we have become a people with an aversion to quiet, and who are uneasy about being alone. Commuters in the past would hide behind their newspapers and books, but nowadays they get plugged in to an i-pod and really believe that whenever they do that, they become invisible!
Those who are being “built up into a holy temple” need to take time to be silent before God, to exercise themselves unto solitude. The primary purpose for that is to hear the voice of God more clearly and to equip ourselves to be of better service to others. Solitude and reflection deepen our understanding of people, increases our compassion for them and refreshes our souls. We are better able to give ourselves to others after giving ourselves to God in solitude. Jesus understood this special aspect of ministering to others. Notice the situation in which He finds himself, as recorded by Luke in chapter 5. In verses 12 to 14 we find him cleansing a leper and telling him not to mention this healing to anybody, but to go to the temple and make an offering to God. Verse 15 says, “Yet the news about him spread all the more, and enormous crowds collected to hear Jesus and to be healed of their complaints.” But notice what Jesus does…“He slipped quietly away to deserted places for prayer.” (Phillips).
Jesus understood the need to get away from the hustle and bustle of the multitudes that surrounded him and to spend time in solitude with his Father, building up his energy and recharging his batteries before continuing to serve those people in need! How much more should we?
Prayer
Gentle Father, help us to see the need to spend time being still before you; taking every opportunity to hear your voice, that we might be more effective in your service.
Amen
Study by Cliff Neill