“Cease striving and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). I was hiking alone six years ago, on my way to seeing the figure on the water (a story for a later time). Somewhere along the way, I thought about this verse. Look at what it says. If a lack of striving is equal to or flows naturally into knowledge of God, then striving imposes an ignorance or unknowing of God. It frightens me that I am unknowing more than I would like. This is a war-Psalm, by the way (like Psalm 2) – God’s battle against a humanity that wants to do it their way, no matter Who sits on High. Our striving, battling…they are against the Unseen-on-High. The more we battle, struggle, strive, the less we know of Him. God is in the business of Creation; sometimes it is His answer to unknowing (see Jeremiah 4:22,23…no, really, look it up!). “The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters” (Genesis 1:2).
- My prayer: to only be moved by the exhale of the Ancient One. I will be that perfectly still water that reflects the parade of the Heavens on a winter’s night, ready for Creation.
- My salvation: “…what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate…I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not…the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want…I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord…there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 7:15,18,19,22-25; 8:1).
3 comments:
Mr. Rat,
How do you align "cease striving" and "work out your salvation with fear and trembling?"
Your student and fellow servant,
Skolex
"...work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God Who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:11,12). We work with fear and trembling because it is not us working, but God working in us (we fear and tremble in His presence). See also Ephesians 2:10. When we cease warring against Him ("cease striving") and thereby gain a more complete and continually growing knowledge of Him, He works through us. The surrender to the Conqueror and humble submission to His will reconciles these two ideas (see again Sept. 25, 2008 posting "imprisoned").
Excellent answer! I wish more could understand that.
Soli Deo Gloria,
Skolex
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