To Be or Not to Be: That is the Question
by Judy Stull
This scripture has always given me a sense of peace, a sense of being given permission to let myself be wrapped in those amazing, loving arms of Jesus and to BE who I have been created to be. However, there are some days that it’s hard for me to even visit that place much less rest in it.
Being called as we are to bring the Good News to a needy world, it’s easy to get caught up in the needs of people, and to find our personal worth in what the Lord has called us to DO. The busyness can bring on its own distraction and convince us that we ARE what we’re called to do. So we might find ourselves thinking that our real identity is in those activities that seem so ‘saintly’ and ‘righteous’ in the Lord. The irony is that the real power to do the work comes from those quiet moments when we hear that still small voice.
Elijah ran hiding; fearing for his life. He needed to hear from the Lord. Standing at the entrance of a cave, the Bible tells us ‘ … and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake, and after the earthquake a fire but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice’ (1 Kings 19:11-12).
As long as we work out of our busyness, or try to define ourselves through our works, or resist quiet times when we can hear that still small voice, we waste our energies and disconnect from the source of the power that flows through us to change the world. Whatever it takes to stay connected, make a decision to do it.
Prayer: Father, we can find rest for our weariness and strength for our spirits when we turn to You in quietness and confidence. Help us to be sensitive to that tugging we often feel in our hearts that calls us to BE with you. In Jesus’ name, we pray, Amen.
Judy Stull has been involved with Ellel Ministries since 2006. She is a retired school teacher and has been a minister’s wife for 40 years. Together she and her husband have one son who is married with two children. They are part of the leadership team at Ellel USA.
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