When God says Stand Still

I am not a patient person. I also do not sit still well. I spent so many years finding my identity in work, that this quiet season God has stepped me into is not only uncomfortable, it’s incredibly hard to maintain. Which is why it’s absolutely hilarious (and proof of the Holy Spirit, if you ever needed it) that my counsel to a friend experiencing the same discomfort was – sit quietly, petition God for direction, do not step forward but be prepared for what is coming.

Our God is not a God of small moves – small maybe to our human, worldly eyes, but never small in the entirety of his plan. He does not have you in this season for no reason; particularly if you have surrendered your life to him to use at his will. 2 Timothy 4:2 warns us to “be prepared in season and out of season” – because a person surrendered to God’s plan WILL be used.

Did your grandmother ever tell you “idle hands make the devil’s work”? It’s biblical. The Living Bible translates Proverbs 16:27 as, “Idle hands are the devil’s workshop; idle lips are his mouthpiece.” Sometimes I think our season of quiet is a test – how faithful can you stand in the moments you don’t have clear direction? Where does your mind wander? Where do you find your validation when the fruits of the seeds you planted aren’t visible?

I know myself well enough that I have to guard against busyness. The minute the enemy thinks I have idle time, he will creep in with more and more to do’s that look and feel very important and valid, but are really a distraction from the quiet time I should be spending with God.  You see, God never really has us in a season of nothing – if it feels like a season of nothing, it’s probably a season of preparation. We’re so inundated with the world’s idea of success, that we feel like we should be doing something, moving the ball forward, constantly – but sometimes God needs us to come under him, so that he can counsel and prepare us for what he knows is coming in the next season.

The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied. – Proverbs 13:4

Sometimes what you’re supposed to be diligent in seems small or quiet or idle. It’s not. I can guarantee you when God quiets the things in your life, he’s quieting your life so that you can find him.

But how do you fight idleness without moving forward? I ask myself this question often. Let me share an image that really clarified what it means to stand still but not idle.

Imagine you’re in a room, and you’ve been instructed to stand in one specific spot. Inside this room are many people, some good and some bad, and they’re all milling around. You notice that some are in danger, but you’re not allowed to move toward them – you have to stand in your spot. So you begin calling for them to come near you, and you corral all those in danger near you, where you can protect them without moving from your spot.

It might be a stretch of the imagination, but the point is…even in a season of quiet, or where your next move isn’t clear, you can still minister, encourage, correct. The entire verse for 2 Timothy 4:2 says this: 

Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 

Just because you can’t move forward, doesn’t mean there isn’t something you can do from right where you are. If you’re feeling lost, draw closer to God. Petition him for direction in his timing, and ask him to show you where you can be effective from right where you are. This way, you aren’t running ahead of God’s plan, but you’re not sitting idle either.