Be still, and know....

 

Psalm 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God.....…

Dearly beloved in Jesus,

This week, we begin to look at this verse in the context of that which says ‘know ye not that ye are the temple of God’ and then go on into newness in Jesus. May you move in uncharted territory.  

It’s not about ‘prayer.’

The church, historically and in present structure, has continued to present prayer as a great form and method of Christian identity and function when it comes to speaking with God and reaching out for what we believe is needed in our lives.  You get on your knees, your hands are clasped, your head is bowed, your eyes are shut, hands stretched out, perhaps. And so forth. If this works for you and you are content, there is no need to read on. You’re all set and it’s where you want to be. Jacob’s Ladder is not about comfort. It is about active, life changing, spiritual ability….. now.

Not for nothing did Jesus give the Lord’s Prayer when he was asked. Short, sharp, and no more. Enough. God is not a vending machine. God does not need our money. But God is loving, merciful, and Father to us all, whomever. Believers and unbelievers. We all have equal opportunity. We will get to prayer and healing in due course. But an example of God’s mercy  – remember the  ‘discussion’ between God and Abraham over the judgement and  destruction of Sodom? Lot, Abraham’s cousin, lived there. If I can find 50 good guys, don’t destroy it ? Ok. What about 40? OK. What about 30? Ok. What about 20……hmmmmm…Ok. Let me open my mouth just once more, please Lord, don’t get mad with me…..what about 10? Hmmm…ok. God is persuadable? Wow! It comes down to childlike asking in the confidence of a Father’s love. Not faith, not belief, but confidence. As when your child comes to you. We all know how that works. Loving parents care for their children. All of them. And the heavenly Father? Much more so.

It’s about meditation.

Whenever Jesus went aside for a bit, it was reported that he was going to pray. So he said the Lord’s Prayer and returned? Doesn’t seem like it. He would go alone, away from discussion, from teaching, from eating and other social things, to be with the Father. So the teaching is …and when you seek the Father, do so alone. Go into your room/quiet space/whatever works - but alone, where you will not be distracted. If indoors is not possible, find an outdoors spot. But you get the idea. No distractions. Why?  Because you must distance yourself from the sensory interactions of this world in order to free your senses to hear and be in touch with God . The stuff your eyes see distracts. The stuff your ears hear distracts. The stuff your mind seems to constantly turn its attention to distracts. So does that itch that must be scratched. You must go beyond these. From the body into the mind. We know this. We all have moments of intense concentration, don’t we? We are so caught up in something that we ‘fail to notice’ other things happening.  Why? Because we have switched off certain sensory aspects of our interactions with the world around us. We are focused, concentrating on the one thing before us. But there's one other element here – we are also relaxed. This is why pre-bedtime often seems best. Just give yourself a headstart timewise.

And to get into it – this ‘stillness’ refers to the stillness of the body, yes; but it is a relaxed effort, not an uncomfortable stiffness; sitting comfortably perhaps in a corner that you can always come back to. Like in your bed! The body-temple is not of the body, not of the mind, but of the spirit. We are intensely body conscious creatures. We are very clear about what body is and how it functions. Not so clear when it comes to mind. And quite ‘vague when it comes to how Spirit functions and operates! And we need to balance these, all of which are God given. Jesus said I stand at the door and knock; open the door and I will come. Seek to make this happen. And it will. Go ‘backwards’ or ‘inside’ i.e. from body to mind to spirit. Detach yourself step by step. It takes discipline and practice. Leave the sensory distractions behind. Not so easy. You will have to single out your distractions and then work on distancing yourself from them, one by one, step by step. And if you suffer from tinnitus, don’t worry about it, it will not stop you. It will actually fade.

Begin by adopting a relaxed position; close yr eyes, ignore whatever ambient sound might be around. Earplugs? Sure, they can help. Either that or find a very relaxing piece of music that you can play at low volume, that will run for about 20 minutes or so. Something that works for you.  For starters, to get away from your body consciousness you will use your mind; then the real challenge comes when you transition from mind to spirit. The body has 2 operating physical eyes that ‘see’ whatever they think they see and the brain works with that; you must now be prepared to ‘see’ beyond these things. Remember, it is God who gives spiritual insight. Such insight is not akin to our usual perspective in vision.

But it is one of the experiences we seek, for with it comes understanding of why people act the way they do, and this helps us navigate the situations around us. The goal is the dimension between the spirit of God and your spirit, starting with the space in-between, which you must navigate.  What will come of it I cannot tell, it depends on how much we want it. As it says, if you seek, you will find. Expect nothing but be consistent. What you need to see, what you need to know, will come. If you would chant, start with a 2 syllable in-out breather, like A-men, or some other 2 syllable phrase that works for you with your breathing.

 Seek the Lord, for having found the Lord all else will fade in value and experience.

If you are persistent, you will find 3 results happening within a fairly short space of time.  You will begin to find inner peace, and it will grow steadily. As Jesus says, my peace I give to you; not as the world gives. Do not let your hearts (yr mind, yr spirit) be troubled. Then, you will find an energy that is not physical but spiritual. There is a difference. Know the difference. This is not a food = energy type thing. Further, physical energy is so tied up with emotion and feeling. Spiritual energy is not. It is true that spiritual energy can impact physical energy, but only as needed. I cannot comment on that. Only God decides that and allows you what you need. It is almost always crisis directed. And finally, you will sleep better.

One of the best reasons to meditate when everything’s done, the day is over, you can put stuff aside and focus on the presence of the Lord, is to prepare to leave this earth in some way, shape, form. Leave aside all of the sensory bombardment that this life dumps on us, and find peace in sleep. And what happens when you sleep?  Your sensory connects cut off. The world goes away. And you are finally free to discover the incredible beauty of the Kingdom, it’s grace, it’s power, it’s different strangeness.   At least, this is what I have found to be true for myself. If I do not experience a thing, I will not speak of it. It becomes theory, and we have no time for such entertainment. I am just inviting you into your own self-discovery.

Worldly interpretations have so much to say about the disadvantages of growing old and how we can assuage this with creams, botox, etc. But all of the people God called, beginning with Abraham, were not young. Age is irrelevant to God and is never a liability, unlike the ‘economic’ perspective of much of this world!  And God’s will enables our individual will. Not intellectual strength. Not physical strength. Learn of the spirit of God. Doors will open. Your mind will cease to wander restlessly. And on that one we have to deal at some point with thought control and the neuroscience of plasticity, which is very sharply applied when Jesus says if you think of doing a thing with desire in your heart it is the same as doing it! Think of the positive side of that! Substitute good will for desire! Not an easy step, but a doable one. It’s the consistent walk that shows results. And that is always incremental. Never mind the sudden miracle wannabe talk.

There is much to be discovered beyond playing at church. Church is more real than most realize. But God is everywhere. You must choose for yourself. As the Lord said, if your eye is filled with light i.e. your spiritual eye, not your physical eyes, then your mind will find that same light, and your body will be filled with such light. Quite different from the games going on now that leave us feeling helpless and hopeless because leadership suffers from a vacuum of integrity. Integrity is goodness and goodness comes from God. Know where we are, avoid folk who have no light in their lives, and know what we must aspire towards in order to take all of this on. Every blessing in Jesus, G.