That expression has been used by all of us at one time or another and I suspect many more times than one. But have you ever asked that question of God? I mean asked it with the same emotion that you used with others? I certainly have to raise my hand and admit that I have been lost and confused on many, many occasions. At which times I have let my emotions get the better of me.
Perhaps one of the best places to find that answer is to ask Him:
Ps 46:10 Be still, AND know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
How many times have we asked that question, only to continue on with our complaining? Our problem is that we will never hear the still, small voice without being still! The Hebrew word raapaah as used here for “still” means relaxed or with slackened hands. We are not to put forth any effort or have any anxiety but rather leave all matters to God. How will we know He is God if we don’t stop, reflect and listen? We need to spend much more time listening to God than we do talking to Him. And I suspect that we all could use some lessons in listening; it’s a lot harder than talking. But what we are talking about here refers to using our spiritual ears and not our natural ones; not listening with our mind but with our heart.
I am reminded of my old stereo that is now relegated to my workshop and one knob in particular. When I find the station I want the next step is to be sure it is tuned in clearly and then I select the AFC (Automatic Frequency Control). The set then knows to continue tracking that particular signal to insure the best reception at all times. We need to do the same thing with the Lord but for us it isn’t automatic. Our AFC is more like Active Faith Control because we should always be listening and when the signal grows weak we need to actively make an adjustment.
But one thing is for certain, the problem is ALWAYS on the receiving end. The sender has the most powerful transmitter in the universe and His signal carrier, the Holy Spirit, always delivers the message on the proper frequency; KYOURS. The receiver, however, is another story and is always in need of adjustment.
When we are being still (relaxed) we are in a much better position to know (understand or comprehend) that He is Elohim (Triune God); the God of all power, wisdom, justice, goodness and truth. In our stillness we will see Him exalted among the heathen and in the earth in some small way each and every day. We just need to be faithful “receivers” and “listen” with our hearts to the voice that reveals Him to us.
But being still isn’t the only thing He wants us to do
Mt 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
It all hangs on seek ye first, but we so frequently hang it on all these things. Seeking Him first is all about having a relationship rather than coming to Him when we want and/or need something. If we are walking with Him on a daily basis we are confident — we have faith — that He knows our needs and puts a higher value on them than we do. If our focus is on His righteousness then we can rest assured that His eye is on our needs.
Jesus, here in His Sermon on the Mount, has enjoined us to put God before our earthly needs. The entire sixth chapter of Matthew is one of my favorites for it puts our lives in clear perspective. We are to “be still” and in our “knowing” we are to “seek” after the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom is here and now and resting within each and every believer; the entire subject of Matthew 6.
The only glimpse of the Kingdom that someone may see could be your life. What view of it will they see? Worry and struggle for the cares of this world or a peaceful spirit resulting from a total dependence upon God for every need? I have experienced both and there is no substitute for the peace that comes when we seek the Kingdom and Righteousness.
Here are a couple of good examples of the right priorities:
2Chr 1:11-12 And God said to Solomon, Because this was in thine heart, and thou hast not asked riches, wealth, or honor, nor the life of thine enemies, neither yet hast asked long life; but hast asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself, that thou mayest judge my people, over whom I have made thee king: 12. Wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee; and I will give thee riches, and wealth, and honor, such as none of the kings have had that have been before thee, neither shall there any after thee have the like.
And this from Paul to the Romans:
Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Stay away from the world’s system and don’t let it conform or fashion you. Its pollution will hinder the renewing of your mind and the knowing of His will. We are in the world but ARE required to not be of it. It is our job to let our light shine and the best way to brighten our flame is to renew our mind through the washing of the Word. We are responsible for the renewing process and it won’t happen without spending time in the Word, prayer and being taught by His Spirit; the oil that fuels our lamp. Look at the same verse in the Living Translation:
Rom 12:2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but be a new and different person with a fresh newness in all you do and think. Then you will learn from your own experience how his ways will really satisfy you. TLT
There is something else He wants from us
Dt 10:12 And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, 13 To keep the commandments of the LORD, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?
We are warned to fear (reverence) God by walking in love, thereby serving Him. Notice that it is not a halfway proposition; with all thy heart and all thy soul. Reverence and love go hand in hand; complementary and inseparable. Let’s look at what Moses is telling Israel that God requires:
- Fear The Lord Your God: We must adore his majesty, acknowledge his authority, stand in awe of his power and dread his wrath.
- Love Him: Be pleased that He is ours, delight in Him, contemplate Him and have communion with Him.
- Walk In His Ways: Walk in the ways He has appointed for us.
- Serve Him: Devote ourselves to His honor, advance His kingdom and be zealous in all that we do for Him.
- Keep His Commandments: We must be obedient to His revealed will for our lives, holding on to the belief that they are for our benefit.
For the natural man this is impossible but for the believer who has received the precious gift of salvation it should be his natural response. Our fear of the Lord comes when we recognize that next to His holiness we are unholy. When we comprehend His mercy it arouses that love within us, which becomes evident in our loving and serving Him with all our heart and soul. With this attitude comes the deepest desire to keep His commandments; the very commandments that are meant for our own good.
So it’s easy to say what He wants but how do we do it? Here is one of the best ways I know, it never fails.
Ps 100:4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
Enter with an “attitude of gratitude.” As we first go through the gates we are focused on how thankful we are but by the time we have entered into His court we are ready to praise Him and turn our thanksgiving into blessing His name. Take some time this week and read Exodus 3; Moses learned about holy ground.
When Jesus was crucified the veil of the temple was rent or torn from top to bottom by God’s hands, exposing the holy of holies. That was the part of the temple where the Ark of the Covenant was kept and only the high priest was allowed to enter once each year. Because of the sacrifice of Jesus we are able to take off our shoes and enter into that holy place at anytime. And our entrance should be no different than that of Israel, with thanksgiving, praise and blessing.
Here is another thing that God wants from us
Heb 6:1-2 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, 2. Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
Look at 6:1 in the Living Translation:
Heb 6:1 Let us stop going over the same old ground again and again, always teaching those first lessons about Christ. Let us go on instead to other things and become mature in our understanding, as strong Christians ought to be. Surely we don’t need to speak further about the foolishness of trying to be saved by being good, or about the necessity of faith in God; TLT
And if we don’t add this it’s all for naught
Heb 11:6 But without faith (root word of faithfulness) it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
We show our love (agape) for Him by the faith we build through hearing and responding to His Word. This brings about growth and that always involves and requires some change in us. If we are to fulfill God’s purpose in our life we need to move on from the cross (the basics of salvation) and begin to walk with Him in victory (spiritual maturity). It doesn’t mean that we forget the principles of salvation but that we build upon them every day as we mature in Christ.
To emphasize these points allow me to share with you a vision that the Lord gave me in 1993.
It began with a picture of Diane and me climbing up a very steep hill with large heavy packs on our backs. They were the large packs you often see used by the mountain climbers who are transporting a lot of equipment and seem to be twice as big as the climber. The burden was so heavy that all we could do was keep our heads down and make one difficult step after another. After a tremendous effort we reached the top and were face to face with a large post in the ground.
As we contemplated the surrounding area in three directions it fell off into steep canyons that seemed bottomless. The fourth direction was a continuation of our climb and the top was covered in clouds. All at once we both looked up from the bottom of the post and looked into the eyes of Jesus hanging on the cross.
Without speaking we knew the only direction was to continue our climb. We both looked into His eyes knowing full well that anything else was unacceptable. We turned to continue our climb and Jesus spoke to us … Leave them. We looked again into His eyes and He said, The burdens are no longer yours, they are mine. Leave them here at the foot of the cross and continue your climb.
As we dropped the packs the freedom was incredible and we just looked at each other with a peace and joy that was unexplainable. It felt so good to just stand there in His presence and enjoy the freedom of those burdens being lifted off our backs. We stood there for what seemed an eternity, basking in the glow of our newfound freedom until we became aware of a still small voice. It was barely audible in the midst of our joy, but as we paused to listen it became louder.
You can’t stay here, it said in a tone that was peaceful yet urgent. There is much to do on the road that lies ahead and there is not much time.
So we picked up our packs, took hold of each other’s hand and set off on the path that led to the clouds. As we struggled and got a little higher we turned and looked back down with startled amazement. There at the foot of the cross were untold thousands who had not heard the still small voice.
Some were struggling on behind us carrying their burdens that they had refused to drop at the cross. Others were standing there as we had been, wrapped in the joy of the moment, while many were on their way back down the mountain having chosen the wrong direction. Some were without burdens and some had larger ones than they had before. In all cases it was harder going down than coming up because they now knew there was another choice and they had to turnaround.
As I took in this vision the Holy Spirit spoke to me about choices. How many of us refuse to release our burdens no matter what they are? They may be health, family, personal possessions, bad habits, hidden sin, being in control or anger – to name a few. These are the ones who go back down the mountain with a heavier burden than when they arrived. They saw the answer but were afraid to continue the climb and while their burdens may be heavy they just can’t give them to someone else. To give up control seems to be too big a price to pay.
The next group was those who were just standing at the foot of the cross.
Unaware that there was a much higher and loftier path to travel, some were there as little children, totally unaware of the challenge to move on. Others wanted to continue the climb but couldn’t seem to get the burdens off their backs. They knew they didn’t want to go back down but letting go of the burdens was a big stumbling block. Some of them were … just like us?
As we looked at each other we realized that we had not left our burdens at the cross. Oh we had dropped them all right but when we realized we needed to move on beyond the cross we picked them up. That is when we noticed those around us going up the hill with their heads up and no packs on their backs. The climb for them was always upward but they had no burden to carry.
I don’t know how much time had gone by when we looked at each other and knew that we needed to go back down to the cross and leave our burdens. The moment we thought it we were instantly back at the cross and the burdens were lying at Jesus feet. He smiled and we heard that still small voice gently rush into our hearts. Whenever you find a burden on your back just turn and I will be there to take it from you.
We turned and began the climb up the path into the clouds with a newfound freedom. Peace and joy walked with us as we entered the mist of the high clouds. We didn’t know what burdens we might pick up along the way but we knew that Jesus was there to take them from us. Our task was to follow the path ever upward, through times in the cloudy mist and times in the bright sunshine.
Our hearts were at once filled with joy yet saddened in contemplation of those that still stood at the cross or those that had gone back down the mountain. In our hearts we knew that any we would meet still carrying their burdens had to be told … there is another and better way!
I have thought about this vision many times and it speaks volumes to me about our walk with Jesus. How we long to have the relationship but don’t seem to want to pay the price. Some of our burdens we are eager to unload but others seem to be prize possessions that we just don’t want to part with. Remember the dirty closet that we want to hang onto?
Our walk is one of moving from Teknon to Huios — from infancy to maturity — from milk to meat.
So it is with the things that we learn along the way. As the Holy Spirit gives us revelation in a certain area we need to let it shine on that part of our life that He desires to see changed. As we move from personal “revelation to revelation” or “glory to glory” we are going to find other burdens we didn’t even know we had; just like in the vision. And when we recognize a burden we need to turn and hand it to Jesus. We don’t have to go all the way back to the cross because He is with us wherever we are. If we follow the Holy Spirit’s leading He will always show us those things that stand in-between ourselves and Jesus. It is our responsibility to listen and be obedient to what He tells us to do and that always requires: 1) that we first acknowledge the burden, 2) immediately give it to Jesus and 3) in faith relinquish our hold on it. If we don’t they will begin to pile up again until we are so weighed down our walk becomes a grinding crawl and is in peril of coming to a halt.
God doesn’t want us to stay at the foot of the cross forever; drinking the milk of babes. If we do we will miss out on all the exciting adventures He has in store for us along the pathway. Yes, His way is always ascending but if we pass our burdens to Him it will always be light and the pathway easy!
What do you want from me? I think He’s has made it pretty clear. He created us for His purpose; to love Him. And all He is interested in is helping us along the way to walk ever closer with Him. It that means there are burdens along the way then we need to trust Him to carry them for us. And when we do, we can move ahead rejoicing in thanksgiving and praise.
Remember, God sees us as a finished product.
Rom 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
The Greek word for the things that are made is poieema, from which we get our word “poem.” God views us as His poem because He sees us through Jesus. Are we there yet? Not hardly! But don’t forget, as we walk along this path there is one beside us who has a vested interest in seeing that we will be ready when the time comes.
What does God want from us? Nothing except all of us!