Category: faith

On Being Still, and Knowing God

~ penningink ~ 2 Comments

A neighbor was complaining that their young son would not go down for a nap. They said they had tried everything—trying to wear him out with play, rocking him gently, singling to him, warm milk. 

So I told them to call the police.

“What?!” they responded. 

Yes, I said. Have him charged with resisting a rest.

Person relaxing on a camping chair by a lake, with hands behind head, surrounded by trees and nature.

That is a silly story. But there is a hidden truth in here too. As adults, we all resist resting and it only works against what’s best for us.

I was thinking of this recently. As a professor with a lighter schedule in the summer, I was pondering what it means to rest. I recalled a famous Bible verse, Psalm 46:10: “Be still, and know that I am God.”

As one who enjoys being in nature—backpacking, kayaking, etc—I have long misinterpreted this passage. I thought it meant being literally still, alone, taking a break from work, contemplating the beauty of creation and praising God for it. That’s a good thing to do. But some years ago someone at church got me to see it more clearly.

The verse actually means stop fighting, and trust God. Seeing the verse for its true meaning was helpful and led to a new perspective with practical implications:

  • I should not try to do things myself. I should always seek direction and help through prayer.
  • I should not fret about what I can not control. There is much wrong in this world but I am powerless to change it, and much of it is prophesied. God has a plan and total control.
  • I should trust God. This is easier said than done. If I have given things over to God I need to believe with confidence and patience that He will handle whatever it is on my mind.
  • I should find my rest in Him. I should not resist a rest, but should stop fighting. When God rested on the seventh day after creating the world, it was’t because He was tired. It was because the job was done. And it was good. I need to remember that whatever it is I may be fighting for on my own is something God has already handled. 

It turns out there are many times this theme plays out in the Bible. An Old Testament example is Exodus 14:13-14 when Moses is leading the Israelites out of captivity in Egypt: “And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”

In the New Testament, Jesus offers rest many times, such as in Matthew 11:28: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

So much worry, anxiety, depression and life crises could be avoided by applying this lesson. If we stop fighting and relying on our own efforts and remember who Jesus is, we will have the peace we need to find rest.

Wood and Stone

~ penningink ~ 1 Comment

A poem, psalm, for Easter

A wooden cross standing beside a rocky entrance to a cave, with a large stone rolled to the side and a warm glow emanating from inside the cave during sunset.
You came in the flesh
A spirit become man

To the world you created
That rejected you

The world worshipped gods
Made of wood and stone

You came to show your infinite might
A power of patient love

You could have remained God
But you became man

They spilled your blood
And broke your bone

They tried to kill you on a cross of wood
To hide you in a tomb of stone

On Good Friday you defeated the wood
On Easter you conquered the stone

Your victory is ours
Our souls are free

Our lives will worship you
In spirit and in truth

Knowing you became blood and bone
To defeat the wood and stone

There are two spirits in the world

~ penningink ~ Leave a comment

There are two spirits in the world

The world is in chaos. More than normal. That is obvious.

But it is not complicated. 

The chaos will continue. But there can be clarity in the chaos if you look at the world with the right perspective, through a spiritual lens.

There are two spirits in the world. Only two. It’s not complicated. 

Some would say this is an over-simplification. They would argue that such a “binary”—seeing things as one or the other—is not a complete conception of reality. 

However, these same people would likely agree with the many pundits and others who describe our current culture as polarized. There are strong opinions that seem irreconcilable. 

But this is not not about ideology, it’s about theology. It is not about political parties, it’s about spiritual forces.

There are two spirits in the world.

There is the spirit of evil, and the spirit of good. There is the spirit of darkness, and the spirit of light. There is the spirit of this temporal world, and the spirit of eternity.

These contrasts are obvious in our culture, from politics to media to entertainment to social conversations.

On the one hand there is overt pride and self interest. On the other there is humility and service.

The response to the death of George Floyd was violence and destruction and threats. The response to death of Charlie Kirk is peace, worship, singing, and forgiveness. 

The one spirit encourages screaming, chanting and ranting. The other spirit moves to calm, rational, and civil dialog.

One spirit places identity in personal achievement, sexual preference, possessions and the things one can create. The other spirit gives people an identity in the One who created all things. 

One spirit encourages an allegiance to human traditions that vary with time. The other spirit favors divine authority that is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.

One spirit claims that everyone should speak their own truth. The other spirit is the absolute truth.

One spirit enables and defends lawlessness. The other spirit respects law, order and justice.  

One spirit worked to allow and now celebrates ending the life of humans in the womb, The other spirit stands for the fact that life is sacred.

One spirit seeks to disrupt peaceful worship to make themselves heard by other people. The other spirit moves in the hearts of people to peacefully worship and to be heard by that spirit.

It all looks chaotic and hard to explain. You could conclude and fret that society is breaking down. Or you could see evidence of the larger truth.

There are two spirits in the world. 

This is not new. From the time when humans first fell to temptation by the devil, God announced there would be enmity between these two spirits. Since then this concept of two spiritual forces is frequently mentioned in the Bible, most famously in the Apostle Paul’s letter to an early church in Ephesus:

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12).

So once you can see clearly, and understand the chaos, what do you do?

You choose.

This also has biblical precedent. The prophet Joshua advised:

“choose this day whom you will serve…as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” (Joshua 24:15).

Jesus also called people to choose: “Whoever is not with me is against me” (Matthew 12:30). 

And, after you choose, have hope and stay confident.

As the disciple John wrote of the two spirits: “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).

The world is in chaos. But you can view it simply. And you don’t have to fear. You just have to choose. 

There are two spirits in the world.