Be Still Part 2 (Hope Chest)

Be Still Part 2 (Hope Chest)

     As I sat before the Lord in Silence, He showed me a Treasure Chest. I would go to the chest and open it up and each time there were new gifts inside. One day before I went about my daily chores I opened the chest and inside was a hat, I heard a voice say “This hat is grace. You will need it today.” That day I especially needed his grace. Later that night I opened it again and in it was a night hat and slippers, I heard a voice say, “This is rest and peace. You will need it tonight.” Every time I went to the chest a new and beautiful gift (that I had no way of manufacturing) appeared.  I opened the chest again and inside was a single piece of paper and a quill. I heard a voice say, “I have something important for you to write today.” Another time I opened it and inside was a book of many promises, and love letters, from God.” I kept coming back almost expecting my luck to run out and find it empty but the promise he spoke was that as often as I would choose to come to him in silence with a pure and contrite spirit, he would continue to give gifts. Some days I sat in my corner of self pity, wondering why God did not show up, in that self-absorbed party that I was throwing myself I had no patience whatsoever for my children and lashed out in anger and then drowned myself in self-loathing, but it could have looked different. I could have been prepared by sitting in silence before the one who literally wanted to dress me for the day ahead. Maybe that day the chest would have had a picture with the scribbles of my daughter and the words I love you, to remind me that I need to love her even when she is throwing a fit, or maybe it would have been a necklace with the words “treasured” written in diamonds to keep in mind that I am a treasure to my king. I don’t know what I am going to need, but night and day God knows us and he wants us to live a plentiful, fulfilling life.

     Does our treasure chest sit in the dark corner of an attic collecting dust? Have we never opened even once? Our lives get so busy and we run out the door before we can even blink or think another thought. I can tell you what would have been in my chest today had I stopped to take the time to care. We were in such a hurry today that as we got to school it was quite apparent that my daughter had forgotten her backpack and lunch causing a whole bunch of events to unfold. I think if we had taken a few moments this morning to get fully dressed (inside and out) our day would have looked a whole lot different. What I feel God was really speaking to me in this eventful day was that we can leave the house without our jacket and although we are not completely naked, we are then very unprepared and vulnerable to the elements. I very often walk out the door without my spiritual clothing, I am not naked but I am living in the carnal part of me, very unprepared to handle what may come my way spiritually. It is so important that we stop and be still before God if we want the fullness. You can go about your day living it the way you want to but chances are you will be settling for a mediocre life if you do. If your being longs for more than what you are currently functioning in, it’s time to allow God to work in your life.

     I found a tasty bit in my bible today as I word studied “Be Still” In Exodus 14:14 Moses is speaking to the frightened Israelites right before God parts the Red Sea, He says “The Lord will fight for you; you need only be still.” How many times do we fight for or with ourselves when we could have just gone to God and allowed a little stillness to come over us while we watch God deliver or bless us? I am so amazed at his goodness! And now I know that we all have a special treasure each day waiting for us if we just come and rest in him. I will call it my Hope Chest. But instead of relics from the past it will hold promises for the future.

     Sometimes the lies of the enemy have us all the way back in the garden looking at one piece of fruit, while he whispers lies in our ear about how God is not good. But that is a lie!! God is good all the time, It is in his very nature! We have a whole garden full of good. How much differently would that scene have gone if Eve had said, “I know my God, and he is good, he has given us all the fruit except this one, I will not take what is not mine and I will ask him about this fruit that belongs to him, to settle the matter.” When we don’t act out of selfish self-entitlement and we go to God with the things that we do not understand, he can give us deeper insight into his love. When the enemy has cast doubt, fear and pride into our minds we must go to God. He can put the enemy in his place; out of our garden! The enemy wants us to believe that God is not good, that we deserve things we don’t and that we can do things on our own that we can’t do without God. But God wants to show us the truth of his goodness, give us gifts of his love, and walk through our joys and trials because we need him through it all.

     In the garden after Adam and Eve had sinned, they heard God coming and hid. They heard him? They knew the difference between the sound of his walk and the sound of an animal; they knew the sound of him coming. The silence required to hear God coming is something I have lacked. I need to start being still before God so that I can learn the sound of his steps, the sound of his voice, the sound of his whisper. I need to be still to recognize the sound of my savior. How sad to know God’s heart so intimately and yet be deceived by the enemy as to doubt his goodness. Adam and Eve were for the first time naked (without the gifts in God's hope chest), so THEY clothed themselves in garments of their own making. So often we recognize our nakedness but try to cloth ourselves rather than allowing God to clothe us. God did not allow them to be clothed in their own garments and sacrificed an animal, (something that had never been done before as the animals were God's special creation as well) God used the skins of the animals for clothing for Adam and Eve. This was a symbol of the sacrifice of the cross, that one day God would give the greatest sacrifice for us so that we could be clothed in righteousness and restored into his kingdom. Now that we recognize our nakedness we need to come before God and ask for his coverings.

1 Peter 3:4  New Living Translation (NLT)

4 You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God.

 

    Isaiah 43 Talks about putting on the garments of praise in exchange for mourning. We need to start dressing appropriately for the days ahead and God desires to give us everything we need if we will only come to him and Be Still.

     Lord as I quiet myself before you, I ask you to clothe me with your righteousness. I ask that as I come into the stillness that you are in, that you would open my eyes to your heart and to your ways. Thank you for you gifts, they are beautiful and my heart is so grateful for your blessings. In the secret, in the quiet place, in the stillness you are there. And so I come into this place and ask for more of these intimate sweet moments. Amen