Now, for those of you who don't know, I'm an artist and illustrator, so my descriptions tend to be very colorful and dramatic, though I am NOT given to exaggeration. So, having said that, I will now return to my experience.
Having flung myself from bed and grabbed my prayer pillow, I swept up my Bible from my bedside and dashed off to the front room. I cast myself to the floor and spoke honestly before God. "Lord, I've not been woken for prayer like this, and I'm not sure how this goes, so I'm just going to turn this over to you. You're in charge here. Speak Lord, for your servant heareth you." and I began a quiet chant of "Thank You Jesus" and "Thank You Lord" to get my heart into a worshipful state and ready. I expected an inflow of faces or names that he wanted me to pray for, or scriptures that He wanted me to have ready for the day, I expected a thunder and lightening Spiritual Warfare to take place as a man of God praying in the night watches... I expected something. Anything. But what I got was quite unexpected. SILENCE.
Now my adversary sits there and says "You're an idiot. Zipping out of bed and throwing your 37 year old body onto the floor like that. And for what? Just to figure out you were wrong? That it was all you?" But he's a liar, so we immediately rebuke whatever he says.
Thinking that perhaps I had to get things rolling, I began to pray for a couple of people. Now, I don't know how it is for most people, but when I'm supposed to pray for someone, I KNOW that I am supposed to pray for them. And right now, I KNEW I was not supposed to be praying for them. So I waited.
Again with the adversary..."Well don't you feel foolish? And aren't you sore down there on the floor like that?" --REBUKED--
Ah, now I had it. When I realized that I was awake for a reason, I was being thankful. So immediately I began thanking God for anything I could think of. I don't know how to describe it, but my speaking was like so much ruckus. So I stopped. And waited again.
And again with the adversary... "Must be some sin that you haven't repented of, either that or you're not really thankful at all. Isn't your back getting uncomfortable? It sure would be easy to fall asleep wouldn't it?" --REBUKED--
But wait... something stirred... there in the silence. So subtle, that had I spoken, I would have missed it. I continued to wait. There it was again, only this time it was more obvious. Now I was looking for it, listening for it... I was attentive not to miss it.
Then it happened...Immediately I had no doubt.
Understanding washed over me and wisdom took hold of my hands as I knew without thinking.
I was at the Master's feet. I was before His Throne. I was called to an audience with the Most High.
"How dare I speak? How dare I tell Him why I was there when HE summoned me? How dare I but patiently wait for Him to speak? How dare I presume to know HIS mind? How dare I ... " Suddenly I realized I was doing it again.
I fell silent once again. The understanding rang like crystal through my being.
BE STILL, AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD.
Needless to say, for the remainder of my time on the floor, I was still.
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Now for a little understanding.
I had been called to prayer.
(This was undeniable, because no man in his right mind is wide awake at 3:45am, especially me.)
I moved in FAITH that I had been called to prayer by prostrating myself on the floor.
Realizing my unfamiliarity with where I was, I placed my faith in God to lead.
That's when I do what comes naturally to every human being on the planet.
I hopped in the drivers seat and drove into a wall.
I took the reigns and steered the horse into the river.
I dismissed the captain and flew the plane right into a mountain.
Three times He let me figure out that I was in the drivers seat again, and three times I got back into the passenger seat. When I hesitated to get back in the drivers seat, He was able to arrest my attention. After I finally shut up, He spoke.
It occurs to me that no where in scripture does it ever show you a throng of people surrounding Jesus and "blattin' their brains out". People just didn't do it, they gathered around Jesus to HEAR HIM SPEAK. Now, I understand there are times when we need to speak to Him about something, and I'm all for that...but how often do we get in front of God and wait on Him? How often do we come before His Throne with our own agenda? How many times are we called to an audience with the Most High and then we dictate to Him? Any relationship counselor will tell you that for a relationship to work there needs to be communication, and communication is a two way street. So for as much time as we spend speaking, we should at least spend an equal amount of time listening. (Being that God is all knowing, all powerful, and all present, we would do well to give Him MORE time to speak.)
JAMES 1:19
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
BE STILL, and know that I am God.
Be still translates from the Hebrew word raphah, which means to sink, relax, abate, cease, consume, draw toward evening, fail, be faint, wax feeble, forsake, to slacken (in many applications, literal or figurative) -- abate, cease, consume, draw (toward evening), fail, be faint, wax feeble, forsake, idle, leave, let alone (go, down), (be) slack, stay, be still, be slothful, (be) weak(-en). It is a command. Obey God's Commands. Stop whatever it is that you are doing, whether it's struggling, worrying, doubting, questioning, failing, sinning...whatever it is...just stop.
The Hebrew word rapha which means cure, cause to heal, physician, repair, make whole is pronounced the same way as raphah. One of the Biblical names of God is Jehovah-Rapha, the Lord our Healer. Is it any wonder that the two words are spoken the same way? In order for God to be our healer, I am certain we must learn to be still in front of Him.
Be still, and KNOW THAT I AM GOD.
Once we obey His command to be still...what follows will prove beyond doubt who we are "being still" in front of. No matter what it is, when we are silent and listen we will hear God's heart, and whatever has our cares will melt away.
ISAIAH 40:31
But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
But they that wait, translated from the Hebrew word qavah, which means to bind together (perhaps by twisting), i.e. Collect; (figuratively) to expect -- gather (together), look, patiently, tarry, wait (for, on, upon). As you can see, it has a unifying property that under-girds the waiting, so it is not an idle waiting, but the waiting becomes an action of unifying you with that which you are waiting for.
