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In God’s Kingdom, strength lies in quiet.
Be still and know that I am God.

Psalm 46:10

In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and confident trust is your strength.. Isaiah 30:15

Jesus modeled the behavior for us in Matthew 4:1-11. He was led by the spirit into the desert where he fasted for 40 days and 40 nights. The devil came to Him and challenged him to turn the stones into bread. Next, the devil took Him to the highest point of the temple. He challenged Jesus to throw himself down if He was the son of God and let angels lift Him up. Last, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world. He again challenged Jesus by promising to give Him everything if he would bow down and worship Him. Satan wanted Jesus to “act” — “to do something.” Jesus took no action. He just spoke “It is written…” The devil left defeated. Jesus remained in the quiet as the angels attended him.

Jesus accomplished victory over Satan with quiet, powerful responses of strength… strength to win, strength for total victory, and strength for the most hard-fought battle.

Success in today’s world is determined by what we do or the action we take. Our challenge should be to achieve a success measured as a result of work done in peace.

JESUS NEVER HURRIED.

Why must we see strength in the number of lists we have completed or the “things” we have accomplished in a timely manner?

The quiet strength modeled by Jesus only comes from time spent alone with God. We must learn to do only what He would have us do today. Seek His priority and His agenda for your life. Remember, “…not by might nor by power, but by my spirit says the Lord Almighty.” Zechariah 4:6 Only with these words in mind can we accomplish anything of eternal significance.

Lord, help us to be still voluntarily not out of necessity.

Dr. Dean Mathis