The Journey, part 22: the stillness

(For there were about five thousand men.) And He said to His disciples, "Have them sit down to eat in groups of about fifty each." They did so, and had them all sit down. (Luke 9:14-15 NASB)

It had been a long day with Jesus. Both the crowd and the twelve were tired and hungry. The disciples suggested He send the people away and call it a day, but Jesus had other plans. "No," He said. "You feed them."  It was a teachable moment that may have surprised the apostles. "Well, we could go buy some food and distribute it, but we do have five loaves and two fish. It's not enough to go around though," they said as they offered their meager supply of food to Jesus. It turned out that, in the hands of Jesus, the little they had was more than enough. 

Before the blessing of the food or the distribution of the food, Jesus did an interesting thing. He accepted the food from the disciples and instructed them to get the crowd organized. The crowd included five thousand men, in addition to women and children. The disciples were to move through the crowd and get them seated in groups of fifty people each.  

Most commentaries suggest that Jesus organized the people in this manner to make it easier to count them. That may well be true, but it doesn't seem quite right to me. He who stilled the wind and the waves, made the blind to see, and raised the dead almost certainly already knew how many people were there. Perhaps our Lord, who knew well the tendencies of crowds, put the people in a seated position for something other than counting.  

It is the tendency of crowds to follow the most aggressive leader. A tired and hungry crowd, seeing a source of free food, would have a tendency to swarm the distribution point. The most aggressive would not only get their food first, but possibly get the most. In seating the people in an orderly fashion, our Lord who is a God of order and not chaos, was saying, "You don't have to stampede Me to get what you need. I know you are seeking Me. I will provide for all of you, both the greatest and the least, the most forceful and the most humble. You don't have to clamor for provision. I will provide all you need." 

By seating them, He placed the people in a position of submission, of waiting. They were completely dependent upon the provision of Jesus for the meal. Seating them in organized groups made those groups more homogeneous. A group of fifty is too large for a clique. When the disciples organized the groups, no one could exclude another because they were different. Before Christ, they were all equal. 

Just for a moment, think about that huge crowd. As the twelve moved through, telling the people, "Jesus wants you to sit down in groups of fifty," and the people obeyed, the crowd gradually got organized. As more groups formed and were seated, they probably began to get quiet, to get still. Before long, thousands of people were organized in groups, seated and still, quietly waiting before Jesus. 

Seated and still, waiting before the Lord.  What a wonderful place to be!  There are times of service, when we are called to plan or organize or distribute the work of God. There are other times when we are called to wait patiently before Him to see the great work of God that He has planned. Both are essential in the life of the disciple. It is in the still waiting, however, that we learn to trust the sweet, faithful provision of our Jehovah-Jireh. Seated before the Lord at His direction is the place we find that He can be trusted to meet every need and the place we are equipped to serve, as well. 

Are you in the place of waiting? Do you need an intervention of God? Perhaps what is needed is not more fretting or more planning but a time of utter stillness before Him. 

The psalmist wrote about this stillness. 

Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. (Psalms 46:10 KJV). 

It is in the stillness that we understand He is God and it is in our stillness that we exalt Him before all around us. Sit down for just a bit, be still, and get to know our God. He is all you need. 

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I apologize to those who looked for the blog post last night. My son came home from college last night and we had such fun times that I opted to forgo writing to be with him. I will have something posted tonight, though. Thanks for your faithfulness. 

Waiting for Jesus, part 19: Stay or Go?

Now they were all weeping and lamenting for her; but He said, "Stop weeping, for she has not died, but is asleep." And they began laughing at Him, knowing that she had died. He, however, took her by the hand and called, saying, "Child, arise!" (Luke 8:52-54 NASB)

At that moment when Jesus was thinning the crowd, Jairus and his wife could not know for sure what Jesus would do, nor how He would do it. The only thing they knew for sure was that He was likely to do something, and by their presence, they consented to His way. 

When He started talking about their dead daughter still being alive, they laughed along with everyone else. Just sleeping? No, they didn't believe that. On the other hand, Jesus was there and there was never any telling what He would do next. It was a crossroads of faith for Jairus and his wife. They could wait to see what Jesus would do, or join the other mourners. They stayed. 

That staying may not seem profound to us, but it was a very powerful statement of faith. We want to be in charge, make decisions, make things happen. As humans, we've been making decisions, and often bad ones, since the Garden of Eden. Jairus, however, made a wonderful and wise decision that day. When Jesus appeared to be speaking nonsense, when He made no sense at all, Jairus stood still and stayed to see what Jesus would do. In that staying, he was saying, "I believe He can. I believe Jesus will do something, and that something will be good."

At the intersection of utter hopelessness and the intervention of God, there should be a big red sign. Stop. Selah. Pause and consider. Hold right there until your next move is clear. Be still until you can clearly see which direction to go. 

When Jesus picked up that little girl's hand and started speaking, Jairus knew without a doubt he had made the right choice. When God's deliverance comes, the wisdom of staying is always clear. It is in those moments just before His intervention that we have the greatest risk and greatest likelihood of moving on our own, making a terrible decision, and missing the most exciting moment of our lives. 

Be still dear ones. Do not rush ahead. There is something to learn at that crossroads of faith, and it is something that will change your life and your faith forever. Can you trust Jesus?  Yes, you can. Can you wait for Him to move? Yes, you can. You can, that is, if you will, and if you wait for Jesus instead of taking matters into your own hands, you will find that it was the best decision of your life. 

Wait for Jesus. You will be so glad you did. 

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Here's the link to last night's post:  http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2014/09/getting-ready-for-christmas.html

The Thinking Chair

When I moved to the farm nearly a quarter of a century ago, there were some long-standing practices that were firmly in place and not subject to change. One of those was The Thinking Chair. As you can see, the thinking chair is an old wagon seat that is mounted on a very rustic frame. It overlooks our small lake and is nestled in the trees. 

The Thinking Chair is in a lovely spot for admiring the scenery, but that's not the best part. The number one rule about the thinking chair is that only one person can be there at a time, except by special invitation.  No exceptions. When someone is in The Thinking Chair, they can do anything they want, but NO ONE can disturb them. No phone calls. No text messages. No emails. No questions. No conversations. It was the rule when I arrived, and it has remained inviolate. It's my very favorite place in the world. 

As a physician, I've spent the last three decades on call and have been attached to one electronic communication device or another all those years. Someone always has access to me. Except in that chair. In that chair, I can set aside the cares of the world and all the words that accompany them. I can be still.  I can be silent. 

Still

Silent

Selah

How wonderful it is to have a place where the only objective is silence! It's the place where God's Still Small Voice is most audible because the clamor of the world has, for a few moments, been silenced. 

Not everyone is blessed with a rustic retreat, but there is no denying the need for a quiet place. This week, in the midst of the clamor and constant contact that surrounds you, carve out a few minutes to be still, to be silent. 

In that silence, listen. Simply silence yourself and listen. 

Selah. Pause and ponder.