Be Still

King Solomon wrote, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths”  Proverbs 3:5-6.

Often, a new endeavor or a new path allows us to rely on the previous knowledge we have obtained for our educational, cultural, and economic background. We tend to wrap our head on the things we can view, but the Lord wants us to focus on the unseen things. Can you imagine what would have happened to Abraham if he would have focused on the tangible? God spoke to Abram in Genesis 17, saying, “If you obey me and always do right, I will keep my solemn promise to you and give you more descendants than can be counted. Abram bowed with his face to the ground, and God said, I promise that you will be the father of many nations. That’s why I now change your name from Abram to Abraham” Genesis 17:1-5. 

First, God is asking all his children to be still. We live in a culture in the United States, where individuals highly desire control and instant gratification. We ask for a microwave fix, but the Lord wants his children to spend intimate time with Him during the day. We have got conformable with Sunday Service, Bible Study, Mid-week Prayer Meeting, etc. We are adding band-aid to temporary procedures, where the Lord wanted to perform heart surgeries. For the last couple of weeks, God had allowed me to be still. God has allowed me to visit the Heavenly Doctor for supernatural procedures within my spirit. Jermaine Lee Clark ran toward a direction where my heart and calling was trying to fix into a small box society has formed. I had to be reminded that I couldn’t squeeze into those boxes because I was meant to be outside the box. I never saw the potential God has for my life until I embrace the journey within New Jersey. I experience an Identity crisis, but God changes my name during the process of stillness. Abram had to come to terms with the words that were spoken over his life. Abram didn’t believe God until his ears were in tune within the heaven frequency. Often time, our stillness requires us to listen during the chaos. Even though we are encountering a pandemic, our stillness is critical to unlearn the church’s social teaching so that we can rebuild, restructure. It will renew our inner core values and belief based on the Basic Insturcibe Before Leaving Earth (Bible). 

Second, God is asking his children to get back into the posture of bowing with our face to the ground. We have got accustomed to surface-level relationships with our Heavenly Father. For the last couple of days, I have been questioning God on why I’m not receiving any assignment within the organization. God spoke, saying, you are in a season of birthing, and I need you to revisit everything the African Methodist Episcopal Church has taught you under the leadership of Rev. Ella & Minister James Edwards. Often, we have spiritual amnesia, but God needs us to remember our faith’s foundation. 

  • If you were raised on hymns, go back and listen to those songs.
  •  If you were raised on praying The Holy Rosary, go back and enter your prayer closet. 
  • If you were raised on fellowship or community, find fellowship and community within a virtual environment. 

Even though things have changed, we must remember the original manuscript of our life. Paul taught us in Romans 12:2, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Lastly, accept the new endeavors. It’s has been over a month since I walk into Catholic Charites, Diocese of Trenton. In the first few days, I met the staff and had a virtual conversation with the Executive Director to figuring out how I fit into this big picture of the non-profit organization. The Executive Director was eager to have another fellow for the year. I was anxious to start a project within a confusing system for the organization volunteers. It’s was a great couple of weeks sending email and answering phone calls, but the passion was missing from it all. I hit many roadblocks throughout the weeks and currently experiencing those roadblocks because of the high demand within the organization’s leadership. I am still expiring frustration, but the Lord reminds me to enjoy the little movement and embrace the new endeavors with a different lens. God had me take Abram’s posture because He couldn’t see all God was doing behind the scene. Abram had a lot of questions but listened during the time of quietness. Abram heard the voice of God and entered into a posture of praise and worship. “No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations.” When we listen to the voice of God, we will rise with new instruction, vision, dreams, songs, prayer, sermons, business ideas, etc. 

Be Still, and know that I am God!

Psalm 46:10

Jermaine Clark