THE STAND
Sometimes the best war tactic is simply to hold your ground. There certainly is a time to fight – to engage in combat, to charge, to advance. A time when victories are won and great successes are celebrated.
There are also times when the fight seems desperately futile, the chaos too thick and the wind too wild. Times when throwing spears and casting bullets seems only to arm the opponent all the more.
What do you do when every urge is to swing but wisdom calls another order?
“Stand”
Quiet
Stoic
Resolute
Nothing more
In the midst of the chaos. Stand.
Profound and effective all at the same time.
The time to be most vigilant is immediately after a victory. After we have exerted ourselves, seen the fruit of our labours and now let down our guard. This is an important moment. Unaware we can now become an easy target.
Elijah can tell you all about that.
He single-handedly outshone 450 false prophets and brought exceeding glory to God through a series of remarkable miracles (1 Kings 19), only to attract the attention of one crazy woman who caught him in a moment of weakness.
He immediately went from being favoured, victorious and mighty, to a man running for his life. In one day! From fighting to fleeing in a matter of moments.
We find Elijah hiding in a cave. Deflated, depressed, isolated, alone and wanting to end it all, when he hears a different voice calling him. Not Jezebel’s voice of intimidation and accusation, but another voice.
“What are you doing in here?”
Maybe you can hear it too.
“Why are you hiding in this cave? You were not made to hide in caves! Why have you listened to Jezebel? Come out of there. Come out and stand on the mountain, in your rightful place. Come out of retreat. Come into the elevated open spaces I have always intended for you.”
The voice of intimidation wants only to terminate the call of God on your life. Her voice is convincing and her presence is obtrusive. But she never has the final say! There’s always another voice, usually a whisper, a beckoning, a sweet reminder of who you really are. It’s a re-issued invitation to your true position. Jezebel never wins.
“Come out – onto the mountain top.
That’s your place.”
That’s the invitation. It’s lovely. It’s bold. A reminder that you were always the head and not the tail (Deut 28: 13).
So we find our friend Elijah willing to brave the glare and emerge from the shadows, the fog, the dark. Willing to cross the cave’s threshold and scale the mountain’s face. Ready to follow the invitation to the summit. But almost as soon as he hears the sweet beckoning he faces another round of resistance.
Earthquakes, fires and violent winds swirl around him; as though all of hell broke loose in a final attempt to withstand him. Except that he notices a profound reality in the midst of the chaos.
1 Kings 19:11-15
11 Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; 12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.
The Lord was not in the wind.
The Lord was not in the earthquake.
The Lord was not in the fire.
God never promised to take your battles from you. He did though promise to equip you to withstand them. When you face tough times, don’t blame God! He’s not causing the wind and fire!
He is calling you out of recluse, into the midst of the chaos, to stand firmly.
You don’t have any reason or permission to hide.
You’re better than that.
You’re called and able to stand while it swirls about you.
AND STAND YOU MUST.
Because after the wind, the earthquakes and the fires finally wane and cease you will hear the most beautiful sound of all. A still small voice leading you into the next phase of your calling (1 Kings 19: 12).
Intimidation will drive you into caves if you let it.
The chaos and turmoil of circumstance will try drown out the voice of God.
Yet He is always wanting to speak with us. He is always drawing us. He is always wooing us into the greatness He intended for us to become for the world.
God calls you mighty and one to be reckoned with.
He calls you powerful, dynamic and full with destiny.
He is always calling you to stand.
“Therefore put on God’s complete armour, that you may be able to resist and stand your ground on the evil day [of danger], and having done all [the crisis demands], to stand [firmly in your place].” Ephesians 6:13
In battle, when you’ve done everything else to no avail, all you can do is STAND. Stand and wait. Don’t retreat, don’t flinch. Stand.
You don’t need to defend.
Just stand.
“And do not [for a moment] be frightened or intimidated in anything by your opponents and adversaries for such [constancy and fearless] will be a clear sign (proof and seal) to them of [their impending] destruction, but [a sure token and evidence] of your deliverance and salvation, and that from God.” Philippians 1:28
"Those who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength." Isaiah 40: 31
Sometimes the best thing to do is to stand. Allow God to do what only He can do. When you’ve done all you can do. When your character is all you have left. When the promise is the mountain He’s calling you to and the winds, earthquakes and fires rage. Just stand.
