All You Need to Do is Sit: The Practice of Obedient Stillness

One morning in the midst of a frenzied attempt to get out the door God spoke to me, even as I uttered the angry words.

“All I need you to do is sit down, now!”

Every morning I say the same thing to my kids, just sit down your breakfast is coming. Each and every morning my son opens the refrigerator and cabinets then hovers directly behind me attempting to do things himself. I reassure him, the food is coming, all I need you to do is sit down and then I promise I will make sure you have what you need.

Two weeks ago a guest speaker at our church referred to Psalm 23. He said we like the part about the green pastures, and still waters, but then you get to the part about the valley of the shadow of death.

How do we know this? Because later in the same Psalm it says “He has prepared a table before me in the presence of my enemies.”

So often in my own times of difficulty I’m the small child rushing around the kitchen, making messes, trying to help myself; when I know exactly what God has told me to do. Sit down. He will prepare the table before me.

Just as I remind my children, God will tell me when to go and when to wait. But I think that sometimes we don’t like being told to sit still because we feel like we need to DO something. (Or worse, we feel like we want to appear to be busy, otherwise others might accuse us of being irresponsible or passive). But there are definitely times when the best thing we can do stop our vain rushing around and let God do his work.

He will prepare the table, we just need to sit and be ready.