Be still and know that I am God

     “For though the fig tree blossoms not, nor fruit be on the vines, though the yield of the olive fail and the terraces produce no nourishment, though the flocks disappear from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet will I rejoice in the Lord and exult in my saving God. God, my Lord, is my strength; He makes my feet swift as those of hinds and enables me to go upon the heights.”                                                                                             Habakkuk 3 vs 17-19


     Holding on to God and trying desperately to cling to hope, at times when heartfelt prayer seems unanswered, is very, very difficult! During these dark periods of our lives, when God seems to be deaf and what we are praying for seems like ‘a good thing,’ we are at a loss of just why our request remains unanswered


     We beg and we plead and we cry out to God to come to our aid . . . but to all outward appearances, there is silence and no ‘apparent’ movement toward what we see as a favorable outcome.

     I call these times – “Be still and know that I am God” times – times when a particular situation seems completely out of our hands and we need to rely totally upon God and His graces, to endure this great trial.

     We need to remind and reassure ourselves that somehow, in the scheme of salvation, this is for our good and for the good of those we love. Because our vision is very limited, we can only see a very tiny part of the whole picture, but God in His omnipotence, sees it all. He is calling us, at these times, to a greater level of trust and surrender. He is inviting us, to a deeper walk in our relationship with Him . . .  as He shares His cross with us. He is asking us to place our hope in Him – even though ‘the fig blossoms not.’

     It is times like this that we need to pray and recall this particular ‘Word of God, ‘ and even write it down, to look upon it, when we are tempted to lose hope and despair. He is calling us, ‘to rejoice in the Lord, and exalt in our saving God,’ when everything within us wants to throw in the towel – or worse yet, take the situation into our own hands.

     Through prayer, grace and personal experience, we can learn that even though we may not see movement – God is at work! He’s working on the situation, as well as our hearts. When we can be patient and trust, we begin to feel God’s peace, as well as His love, and a deep ‘knowing’ that our ‘Papa’ is taking care of us, as well as our loved ones. It is at these times when “God, my Lord, is my strength; He makes my feet swift, as those of hinds, and enables me to go upon the heights.”