Learning To Be Still...

I am not a fan of being sick, who is? It is not the feeling of being sick that makes me dislike it so. It is not even having to go to the doctor. What I hate most about it, if I am honest with myself, is that it slows me down.

I am a worker, I am task driven person, I like to be doing projects, I like to work. Being sick impairs that. Being sick gives me days like today where the day consisted of a doctor’s visit and time in bed. This is not good for a busy, important guy like myself. I am supposed to speak at the DSC’s men’s retreat on Saturday morning and staying in bed all day does not help me prepare.

Then I read a tweet from John Piper:

“God will be up all night tonight keeping watch. And he never gets tired. Not even a little bit. (Psalm 121:3).”

Conviction.

I don’t like being sick cause it reminds me I am not God. I am a creature who is fully dependent on God. I am a weak, broken creature who is more broken on the inside from sin than any illness that medicine can fix. I need to learn to “be still” and know He is God, and that I am not. And because God loves me, and is near in times of joy and pain, He helps me at times, by bringing sickness so that I stop, listen and rest in the love and care of Him. In those times He reminds me who He is, and who I'm not. As Piper said, He stays up, doesn't get tired, not even a bit. He is sufficient, He is my rock, He is my redeemer, He is sure!

So do I like being sick, nope. Do I see God in the sickness, yep. Can I praise God for this time to be quiet and trust in Him and Him alone, by His grace, yes!!