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To stand, despite the warfare; to stand, despite the resistance; to stand, despite the hassles; to stand, despite weariness; to stand, despite distresses; to stand, despite the temptations; to stand, despite personal failure and collapse; to stand, despite the grief; to stand, despite the loneliness; to stand, even when chained; just to stand!

To stand, because of the cross; to stand, because of the Lamb; to stand, because of his affections; to stand, because of his acceptance; to stand, because of his mighty power within; to stand, because of fountains of living water flowing from the innermost being; to stand, because of his surpassing beauty and greatness; to stand, because of his eternal purpose; to stand, because of his everlasting mercies; to stand, because of love!

The job description for the Levites is still applicable to us today: "At that time the LORD separated the tribe of Levi to bear the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to stand before the LORD to minister to him and to bless his name, to this day" (Deuteronomy 10:8). One of our prime responsibilities (and privileges!) is to stand before the Lord to minister to him. In the secret place, we simply stand. No great agenda, no mighty ambitions, no rush to move on to the next thing. We just stand before him and love him.

There are seasons when God calls us to simply stand. We might prefer the adrenalin of chasing down a great cause, but sometimes God calls us to stop all activity and just stand. Sometimes, He gives us no choice. Occasionally, circumstances will constrain us beyond our ability to steer a different course, and we become prisoners to the chains that bind us to God's will. Incapable of extricating ourselves and moving on to the next thing, all we can do is stand and burn in holy love for our King.

It is commonly said, "Don't just stand there, do something!" When circumstances in our lives are careening out of control, the great temptation—when you don't know what to do—is to do something. "God can't steer a stationary vehicle," they say, "So start moving out on something, and let God direct your course."

That may be the way to go in some situations, but I've found that the Lord has been working differently in my life in recent days. He inverted that common saying and gave it to me this way, "Don't just do something, stand there!" It came like this: "When you don't know what to do, don't just do something! Wait on me, stand before me, minister to me, until. Until I speak. When I speak to you, then you can move out in response. But until I speak, just stand there."

The Scriptures show us that God has mighty angels who stand in his presence, in some cases for hundreds of years, and wait for his bidding. God doesn't need our strength and productivity; he needs our availability. He's just looking for us to stand in his presence, gaze upon him, love him, and fulfill his word when he speaks.

Are you between assignments? Then just stand before him, enjoy him and let him enjoy you!

Adapted from Secrets of the Secret Place by Bob Sorge, Copyright 2001.

More Bible Study Helps
Spirituality for Today This Bible study explores the current use of the term spirituality and brings biblical perspective to the pilgrimage. Read more.	What Did Jesus Do? The seven priorities that guided Jesus' decisions can help us in our daily choices. by Mike Fleischmann I wear a bracelet on my wrist with four letters: WWJD—What Would Jesus Do? Read more.

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