One of the distinct upsides of being still is that it inspires praise.  When we’re alone with God and are aware of His presence, it reminds us He is real.  There’s one response that flows naturally: praise!  Alone with God is a great place to be as we remember why a Still Christmas is a blessed Christmas!

The truth is God’s presence never vanishes from this earth.  Why does He seem to be so far away then?  I’d argue that it’s us.  We just choose not to see Him.  We choose to overlook Him.  We choose to push Him out of the way in our efforts to control our destiny, get what we want, and pursue our dreams. 

Not so with Mary’s cousin Elizabeth.  She’d been in a place of awe since she discovered she was pregnant, at her age, and with her husband having suddenly lost his voice (and who knows what kind of blessing that might have been!)  She’d long ago given up control of her destiny.  Now she was in a place of stillness to ponder life and see what is spiritual in her midst.  Mary comes in and greets her.

Luke 1:41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!”

In that place of stillness, she could easily see God’s activity in her life and recognize His working in the life of others.  The Holy Spirit took over and He did what He always does: He inspires faith and praise!

* * *

Be Still, Elizabeth.  Your inspired praise will be recorded in My Word for all eternity!

Be Still. Stay the course and you will witness greater things than these.

Be Still and Know that I AM God. I am the worker of miracles and the Giver of life.

Be Still and Know that I AM God.  I AM at work in ways you do not know, but you will see when you are still and willing to watch and listen.  John 5:19 Jesus gave them this answer: “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, to your amazement he will show him even greater things than these. 21 For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. 22 Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, 23 that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him. 24 “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. 25 I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.”

Questions for Reflection:

1. How responsive are you to the Holy Spirit’s inspiring praise in your everyday? 
2. What about at church?  Is it just the meat and potatoes of a Sunday sermon bringing you to church, a sense of obligation, a comfortable club of friends, or do you arrive expecting to encounter the Holy Spirit and have praise well up in your heart? 
3. What inspires praise of God in your life?  If nothing, is there something you might be overlooking?  What can you do to get alone with God?  
4. What does praise look like … does it always look like charismatic hands-raised and outwardly visible?  What did the quiet place and experience of hearing from God look like in Elijah’s life (1 Kings 19:9-18)?  
5. How is it possible to experience stillness and praise at the same time?

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Still Christmas, Advent 2017 Devotionals began December 3, 2017 and are archived from that date.

It can be hard to accept stillness.  To be still when you know you should be.  To remain silent when silence is best.  To restrain oneself by an act of the will or by distance if you simply fear that the will is susceptible to weakness.

As we continue our look at the Christmas narrative and explore stillness in our Advent Devotional 2017 series Still Christmas, let’s look at Mary’s response.

By and large, I think that humanity…oh, we are a restless sort!  Had Mary been alive now, the temptations would have been legion.  Tweeting about your angelic encounter in 140 characters or less.  Posting your Facebook status as “Mary of Nazareth—feeling confused…well, how would you feel if God told you that you’d give birth to His Son?”  All your friends doing sad, angry, or wow emoticons and then getting in a huge friend-fight over whether your status is fake news and if you’re just trying to get attention. Instagram: before and documenting pregnancy pix. 

Even in Mary’s day, there would have been temptations to talk about it with people she shouldn’t.  People who cast doubt and send judgments her direction.  Maybe even her own family.

Here’s what Mary did to remain still when her world was just ripped out from beneath her feet:

Luke 1:39 At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40 where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth.

Elizabeth would be proof that what God told her was true.  Mary steps out in faith and away from the doubters.  She takes refuge with Zechariah and Elizabeth.  Scripture indicates this was a sudden decision and a rapid exit to get to their home. 

She would be safe there. 

Safe from judgment. 

Safe from doubters. 

Safe from second-guessing. 

Safe from trying to explain things before their proper time.

* * *

Be Still, Mary.  Elizabeth is pregnant just like I told you.  She’ll understand.

Be Still, Mary.  You’ll be safe here among relatives who have been as surprised as you.  They’ll be a safe place to process what is happening.  I know these things are too much for you alone.

Be Still and Know that I AM God.  Just as I provided for Elijah with bread from ravens and safety in the wilderness (1 Kings 17), I have provided Elizabeth to nourish your soul and give you safety in the hill country while My plan unfolds.

Be Still and Know that I AM God.  I will overlook no detail in providing everything for you in due time.  I will pave the way for Joseph’s understanding Myself.  For now, dear Mary, just find rest here.  Reflect as the psalmist did, and know deeply the fullness of rest I give.  Psalm 91:1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” 

Questions for Reflection:

1. Have you ever known a secret that you promised not to tell? How hard was it to keep from telling the secret?  
2. Consider Mark 1:44-45.  Did the leper remain silent and still?  What was the result?  
3. How hard is it to place trust in others to reveal the information when and if the time comes?  Read Matthew 17–Jesus has been transfigured before His disciples.  He tells them not to tell anyone until after He was raised from the dead.  Why might that be? 
4. What are some factors making it harder to stay still?  What self-interests might be at play?
5. Do you think this is more of a modern problem, like with leaks to the press or violating security clearances, etc.?  What about in your own life?  Is there anything in a communication culture making it harder to Be Still When You Should Be?

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Still Christmas, Advent 2017 Devotionals began December 3, 2017 and are archived from that date.

How good are you with incomplete information?  When someone tells you only what you need to know—nothing more—and to accept that “nothing more” is all you’re getting?  Are you able to Be Still in such an instance or does your mind ramp up, releasing your inner Sherlock Holmes to unlock whatever mysteries exist so they’re no longer mysteries?

Continuing our look into Still Christmas (Advent Devotionals for 2017) and exploring how to Be Still and know that He is God, we can see that sometimes God gives incomplete information and asks us to be cool with it.

Sometimes more information is too much information.

Like Zechariah, Mary’s mind must have been spinning.  She’s being told something that is not only way out in left field, it’s never entered her mind as even a possibility. 

For Zechariah, the angel’s proclamation was fulfilling a dream long unrealized, but still a realistic dream during his and Elizabeth’s normal child-bearing years.  It would have been completely normal had they been younger. 

Mary, however, is being asked to believe beyond the outlier and off the bell-shaped curve.  She’s being asked to trust in totally uncharted territory. 

A total mystery.

Not asking, “How can I be sure?” like Zechariah, Mary just wants to know the obvious:

Luke 1:34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

The angel tells her enough to satisfy a need-to-know, but beyond that, to trust that God still does the miraculous.  Basically, “Mary, you couldn’t understand even if I were to tell you.  I’m asking you to simply trust that you have enough information and let the miraculous remain mysterious.”

35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. 37 For nothing is impossible with God.”

Mary’s response is powerful:  Luke 1:38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.

 * * *

Be Still, Mary.  I know you must have a million questions.  Don’t be afraid.  I AM your peace.

Be Still.  Believe that I AM a God of love and mercy.  You trust Me and I’m glorified by your faith.

Be Still and Know that I AM God.  I specialize in the miraculous and supernatural. Matthew 19:26 “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Be Still and Know that I AM God.  I AM about to reveal what has been among great mysteries in ages past.  When the time has come, it will involve the Messiah, the Christ Child you will bear, Mary.  “This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 3:6)

Questions for Reflection: 

1. When was the last time you were content to let God blow your mind?
2. If God has never presented you with a mystery that defies explanation, why might that be? 
3. When we insist on plumbing details of the miraculous in order to know all mysteries, what does that do to the size of the God we worship?  Moreover what does it mean for human pride? 
4. What character traits are developed in the stillness of incomplete information?

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Still Christmas, Advent 2017 Devotionals began December 3, 2017 and are archived from that date.

Most of us go through life as a matter of routine.  We blend into the backdrop of sunrises and sunsets, each day not all that different from the others.  Many of us seek to blend in, not wanting to risk being innovators, vanguards, or even color outside of the lines because standing out invites criticism or judgment or speeding tickets. 

Mary was just minding her own business.  She was following the usual order of dutiful daughter, betrothal and marriage to a nice guy like Joseph, hopefully to motherhood…like all the other Jewish girls.  That’s when God takes notice of her.  Not that He couldn’t find her before, even in a nowhere place like Nazareth.  It’s just her time had not come to be noticed, singled out, until now.

Luke 1:26 In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” 29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. 31 You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”

Mary was a “nobody special” as far as the world could tell.  God sees her differently.  Like with King David (1 Samuel 16:7), God sees her heart.  An angel comes and interrupts her life (just like he did with Zechariah) and turns her normal upside down. 

Be Still, Mary.  God has taken notice of you.  You are highly favored.

(Being noticed upended everything she’d been working toward.) 

God assigned a huge responsibility and never really asked if it was in her plans.  He didn’t have to.  He’d been watching her all her life and knew exactly what her response would be.

* * *

Be Still, Mary. I have been preparing you for this moment since before you were born.

Be Still.  I’ve noticed your heart of faith and have set you apart as a beacon for generations as the mother of the Only-Begotten Son of God.

Be Still and Know that I AM God.  The promise I made to David “Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever'” (2 Samuel 7:16) will be fulfilled in the Child you will bear.  

Be Still and Know that I AM God.  Your faithfulness has not escaped My notice.  Now, dear Mary, get ready to marvel: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9)

Questions for Reflection: 

1. Would you say your gut reaction to being singled-out would be “great!” or “uh-oh”?  Would it depend?  Depend on what and whose assessments?
2. What do you think of routines and predictability? What’s the first word you would assign to routines?
3. What types of feelings do routines, predictability, and expectations elicit? How much depends on personality vs. human nature?
4. When things are routine or predictable, what does that mean for feeling like one controls one’s own destiny? 
5. What are some distinctions between a command to “Be Still” and a desire to “Be in Control”?  What would be God’s desire for you?   Psalm 143:10 Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground. 

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Still Christmas, Advent 2017 Devotionals began December 3, 2017 and are archived from that date.

How well do you handle interruptions?  Some are diversions, just brief strays of thought, some are bed rest from illness requiring lifestyle adaptation, some are from your child asking a question and your wanting to respond with love instead of irritation, but some are when God interrupts.  His demand a thoughtful response.  God’s interruptions are unsettling and can be life-altering.  Hold that thought as we begin our journey into Still Christmas, our series for Advent 2017, by looking at how to Be Still When God Interrupts.

Poor Zechariah was just doing his job as the Christmas narrative from Luke begins (Luke 1:5-25). 

He and his wife Elizabeth were ordinary people, holding a sorrow of being childless.  Everything is ordinary, typical…full of observance, duty, and custom.  But then God sends an angel to interrupt Zechariah as he’s simply doing the routine work of a priest:

Luke 1: 10 And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside. 11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear.

Has God ever scared the living daylights out of you?  I totally get why Zechariah would be afraid.

13 But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John. 14 He will be a joy and delight to you,

To a barren couple, this no doubt longstanding prayer being answered could have elicited many responses.  First, maybe “Thank you,” but when you’re gripped with fear you don’t always think of the best answers on the first try.  Zechariah’s was a total miss.

18 Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”

Yeah, wrong answer.  Kind of destroys that whole life-of-faith thing that pastors and priests try to uphold.  Asking God for probabilities, confidence levels, certainties that He’s not just shining you on, it demonstrates that you have no clue about faith even though you’re a priest.

19 The angel answered, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. 20 And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their proper time.”

God’s response of “Silence him” is fitting.  Time out: Be Still.

Zechariah’s response to when God interrupts was to ignore the immediate blessing and ask the Great I AM for reasons why he should believe God. 

Don’t be that guy.

* * *

Be Still.  I AM in possession of knowledge you don’t have.

Be Still.  I AM not asking you to do miracles, only to believe that I can.

Be Still and Know that I AM God.  I AM not limited by laws of nature or worldly norms.  My ways are not your ways.

Be Still and Know that I AM God.  Your heart can find stillness and rest in Me.  Isaiah 55:6 Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near…”For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. 9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Questions for Reflection:

1. Read all of Isaiah 55:1-13.  How does God interrupt with an invitation to abundant life?
2. What might be some reasons God interrupts our lives and calls us to silence and stillness?
3. Read Matthew 11:28-30.  How does Jesus invite us to stillness?
4. Read all of John 6:22-59 about the Bread of heaven, especially John 6:28 Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” 29 Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”  What is the challenge of stillness in a world of works?

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Still Christmas, Advent 2017 Devotionals began December 3, 2017 and are archived from that date.

“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:10).  

“Be Still,” God’s Word says.  Do we even know what being still feels like anymore?  How can we get to that place of stillness?  Especially at Christmas.

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This year’s Advent Devotional Series, Still Christmas, is the Advent complement to the Lenten series, Be Still and Know that I AM God.

Every day through Advent, we will look at the birth narrative of Christ and find ways to have a Still Christmas, taking time for appreciating what an amazing and transformative event the birth of our Savior was. 

We will allow ourselves to take refuge in God’s Word and under His mighty hand. 

By doing so, we will learn to relinquish our desire to control our surroundings and in the stillness, find comfort and hope.

Finally, there will be questions for personal reflection designed to carve away all our self-imposed stresses and refocus our pure attention upward. 

Be Still and Know that I AM God.

* * *

Advent Devotionals begin December 3, 2017.  If you’re already signed up on my Home Page sidebar to receive posts, you’ll get the Advent devotionals automatically.  If you haven’t signed up, today is a great day to do so.  Advent and Lenten devotionals remain among my most popular offerings.  You don’t want to miss this great way to prepare your heart for the true meaning of Christmas!  See you in a week!

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Acknowledging inquiries about the entire season’s devotionals for your study group’s planning purposes, Seminary Gal’s prior seasons’ Advent devotionals can be accessed via the archives to the right and are as follows:  

• The 2016 season devotionals were called “Timeless: The Message of Christmas for All Ages” and explored how the message of Christmas is timeless truth, for all ages of people, and for all ages at all times.  Timeless hope, encouragement, grace, peace, and love as we looked into the Word, saw the face of our Lord Jesus, and experienced restoration in His presence.  His goodness and His Gospel are truly Timeless. The 2016 devotionals began November 27, 2016.
• The 2015 season devotionals were titled Incarnation and involved digging deep–and yes, I mean deep– in this important mystery of Christian theology.  They began November 29, 2015.
• Carol Me, Christmas! remains one of my most popular offerings and tells the Christmas story through our most beloved Christmas hymns and carols.  You can access all of the numbered devotionals from 2014 via the archives.  They began November 30, 2014.
• The 2013 series was Emmanuel: When LOVE Showed Up in Person and examined the Prologue to the Gospel of John.  It began December 1, 2013.
• The 2012 series focused on Expecting the Unexpected…the unexpected, unlikely, and uniquely divine qualities of God’s perfect plan outlined in Luke’s account of the Christmas story.  It began December 1, 2012.

Give thanks to God in all circumstances. 

Happy Thanksgiving today and continually!

1 Thessalonians 5:14 And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else. 16 Be joyful always; 17 pray continually; 18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus..