Perfect Balance

UV 1444/10,000 Perfect Balance
Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
Psalm 46 v 10
Just reflect on everything in the universe. Everything - the sun, moon, stars, planets and earth are all moving constantly without stopping ever. Yet everything appears not to move , to be perfectly still. The different parts of the universe are held in perfect harmony and balance. This is equilibrium - apparent stillness every moment despite constant movement. Look at our own bodies and minds. There is so much happening within each of our bodies and minds all the time. Yet it appears to be motionless and still on the outside. . Equilibrium is stillness despite movement. God has created everything to be in equilibrium. To be calm despite causes for anger, anxiety or stress, to be gentle despite causes to be harsh and to raise one’s voice, to be joyful despite causes of deep pain, sadness and sorrow, to be courageous despite sources of fear, to achieve despite deficiencies and challenges, to serve despite signs of all round selfishness, to believe in God and goodness despite apparent symptoms to the contrary, to be positive despite causes and sources of negativity: this is equilibrium or dynamic stillness. When we are anchored in the hope of Jesus, we can be still like this in our personal knowledge of God.

To be still and rested we need to trust God as our refuge. Our primary source of confidence in our lives is the Lord and not money, position, power, talents, fame, connections, family or friends. He is mighty and holds the whole vast universe with its vast and powerful forces in equilibrium. How much more would he hold our tiny world in equilibrium? Jesus is the wall of Hezekiah to whom we turn every day and for every need in every situation. No storm can rock our boat when Jesus is in it with us. Nothing is too tiny for Him to perceive or too big for Him to handle. Trusting God in every aspect of life is stillness. We are freed from the chains of fear, anxiety, hopelessness, vanity, pride and guilt. We are free now to be calm, joyful, secure, confident, hopeful, loving and peaceful. We are empowered and enabled to attain our potential in God- to live as His image or reflections of God on earth. We mirror God in our lives and so exalt Him in all the earth. We are freed from the need to take revenge and to forgive 24 x7, 70 x 7 as Jesus asked us to. In allowing the Holy Spirit to transform us from within we glorify God, in consistency we exalt Him.

When we know who God is and are in awe of the extent of His greatness and goodness, we no longer have the natural desire that we had in the past to exalt ourselves. As we increase in our knowledge of God, our trust will grow, our joy, peace and hope will grow. We will humble ourselves before Him and exalt the Lord. We will give up our frenetic efforts at self aggrandisement and trust God for our needs. Our egos are replaced by e-God or exalt-God. He becomes our habitation. We breathe, live, move and exist in Him. So though we are always moving and are moved, we will have a deep inner stillness where we feel the reassuring presence of the Lord. He balances the different parts of our lives however contradictory in perfect harmony.

Prateep V Philip