Stand Still!

W

hen we were young kids, my mom used to make our clothes.  She loved to sew and I remember her working way into the wee hours of the morning, making sure everything was just right.  Easter especially saw a bevy of activity around the Carpenter household. Mom would very methodically measure us, hold the patterns up to us to make sure they were the right size, cut out the material, and then start the sewing process.  We were very involved in the process and I was more than a little impatient at times. 

Mom would encourage us to play outside, out from under her feet, so she could actually get something done.  However, she didn't want us to stray too far so we could come in and try on our clothes in order for her to make any necessary adjustments.  I remember many Saturday afternoons as I played in our backyard while mom sat in the back hallway at her sewing machine making new clothes for me to wear.  She could call me to come in for "just a few minutes" which to me were an eternity.  She would hand me the clothes and then make the most impossible and least favorite of all requests, "Stand still!"

I hated standing still and I would jiggle and shift my weight from one foot to the other.  I would crack jokes and make her laugh which meant we stayed there longer.  She finally would tell me to be quiet, another impossible feat, while she checked the length of a sleeve or pants.  The hardest part was standing still for the hemming of a pair of pants.  I had to stand perfectly still while she made sure the pants were the correct length.  She would pin the pants to the desired length and then she would let me go.  While I was sleeping, however, she was working, hemming those pants until early in the morning.  She did the same for my brother and for my sister.  Honestly, I don't know where she found the time, but I am so glad she did.  I am so glad that she taught me that sometimes it's necessary to stand still.

In the Christian life, we want to be constantly in motion. We find it so hard to be still, to be inactive, and to let God do the work while we stand by and watch.  For us, standing still seems to have no useful purpose and seems to be counterproductive.  We must forever be doing something, we think, if anything is to be done to further God’s kingdom.  Yet, this is the exact opposite of what God would have us do.  David was right when he said that the battle belongs to God, and Moses hit the nail on the head when he declared that the Lord would do battle for his children.

The Apostle Paul echoes these two great men of the Old Testament in his letter to the church at Ephesus.  In Ephesians 6:13, Paul speaks about the Christian life in terms that all people in the Roman world would have understood at that time.  "Therefore take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand." Rome conquered and held the known world through military might.  She did this by having the best equipped and best trained soldiers the world had ever known.  The Roman war machine was well respected and was built on the idea of the foot soldier.  Providing them with the best equipment was essential to conquering the known world.

In Ephesians6:11-17, Paul speaks about the various pieces of armor a soldier would wear.  He encourages and admonishes his readers to put on every piece of spiritual armor meticulously and, once ready for battle, he orders them to stand. He does not suggest they attack, march forward, or launch their weapons, but simply stand still.  The Roman solders wore sandals equipped with spikes in order to grip the ground and provide a firm stance.  The idea for a foot soldier is not to lose any ground but to hold position and advance when necessary as a unit.  This tactic ensured Rome's power for almost 1000 years.

Paul's advice is applicable to us today.  Every piece of the spiritual armor Paul describes is defensive in nature.  The only offensive weapon is the sword of the Spirit, the word of God.  The shield is used to quench fiery darts launched at us, the belt, breastplate and helmet protect vital organs; the shoes help us stand our ground.  This is Paul's command to us, to hold our ground.  God is our general, he is out in front, and he is fighting all the battles for us.  Our job is to hold the line, to keep the enemy from advancing, to lock our shields, to dig in our heels, and to hold our position.  This is the job of the foot soldier who looks the enemy in the face and doesn't flinch, who has confidence in his general, who knows that ultimately the victory will be his because he held his ground. 

S

o, if you feel you are making no forward progress, if you think God has left you in the line because you have no usefulness, if you feel your place is unimportant, hold on, dig in, stand firm.  It may be that the very position you are holding is preventing the enemy from encroaching on God's territory.  Your faithfulness in the fray, your willingness to be obedient, and your firm stance is what God is counting on.  Don't give up!  Hold that line! Stand still!