I think that may well be the most difficult thing there is for those of us who are filled with ideas that need to be shared and music that must be heard and art that must be seen and cakes that must be tasted, even for those who have business that must be completed. Be still and wait ... patiently. I don't know about the rest of you, but I have things I want to do ... NOW. I don't want to wait until things seem to work out so that I can do whatever it is I need to do. Oh no ... I NEED to do it now. But that is not what the words say and that is not what makes the things I want to do succeed.
Be still. That is the first part. Some days I am so very busy just doing ... doing, reading, watching TV, calling a friend, running to the market, doing laundry. That is not being still; but neither is sitting and doing nothing, turning the pages in a mag and flipping the remote control to one thing after another. Neither is that is not being still.
Being still is so difficult, and yet I am learning. Being still is going somewhere and settling my mind, getting quiet within myself, settling my spirit, allowing everything else to go. And that word continues, "before the L-rd." Just being still is one thing; but it is being still before the L-rd with our mind fixed on Him that brings us our reward. "Before the L-rd" means that our minds are not blank, but are fixed on Him, on His words, on His action, on His praises. Sometimes, for me, that means that I may be singing while my mind is fixed on Him.
And then it means that while in that state of quiet, I am listening to G-d as He speaks to me about what I have recently read or seen or heard or experienced for myself. Oh yes, He does speak to us. It is just that we are so seldom quiet that we fail to hear His voice. But the voice does come and we know what G-d has for us: an idea, a path, a dream, a goal. It comes to us while we are quiet and still before HIm.
And then, it follows that we should "wait patiently" for Him. That is another very difficult thing for most of us. We may sit quietly and fix our minds on G-d and then expect things to come to us quickly ... NOW. But no, that is not what the word says. We must wait patiently. And that doesn't mean thinking about a dozen other things while waiting. This is so difficult for all of us that I am certain that is must be difficult for the most devoted follower, the most inspired of His disciples.
Patience doesn't come easily to any of us. Oh, perhaps, to those who have grown older and have more time, perhaps, they find it easier to be patient. It surely looks that way. But for those of us who are full of ideas and plans and things to say and things to do, patience sometimes feels like wasted time. But that word says to "wait patiently" and so we must do. And waiting patiently is waiting in stillness and quiet, completely at ease, without a thought of hurry or wasted time.
And last, the word says that we must "wait patiently for Him" and therein lies the secret to creativity. If we wait for His creative idea, his music, his thought, his poetry, his design, his business plan, we will have success. Only when I am able to hear His voice and know that I have the right direction can I know that I am on the right path. Only then can I truly believe that my "Äh-Ha" moment is real, that my plan will succeed, that the song will touch the right person, that the essay will reach the one who needs it, that my plan for the day will please Him, and that whatever I have to do that day will be the right thing to do, the one thing that will bring success or touch the most people.
That is G-d's way for us to make decisions, not exactly our way. Do I always do that? Of course, not. Last night, I bought a pair of shoes, Birki's, from QVC. There they were, the perfect color of pink, just the right style, extremely comfortable footbed, just the right thing for summer ... and winter. I saw it. I picked up the phone, hit the speed dial for automatic ordering; and in less than a minute, a pair of pink sandals were headed my way. I didn't get still and wait patiently to learn whether I should order the shoes. I simply ordered them. Was that the OK? Probably. Was that the better way? No. Oh, I can afford them and I shall wear them with joy.
But had I waited and listened, I probably would not have gone back later and cancelled the order so that I could order a different pair that suited me better. And had I been still and waited, I might not have even bought anything at all. I don't know. I just bought them. I am human. I don't always follow G-d's directions for successful living. But when I do, when I take the time to get still before HIm and wait patiently for Him, I don't make mistakes and I usually do those things which are very successful.
When I was teaching, I tried to do this often, to be still before Him and to wait for Him. Those were the days when the concepts I wanted my students to understand were more clear to them and my teaching seemed inspired, unlike the times when I flew into the classroom in a hurry and my explanations went right over their heads. G-d did make me a better teacher when I looked to Him for the inspiration and acknowledged His leading. I know that now. It has taken a while to realize just what made me a better teacher than I might have been: I learned to be still before Him and to wait patiently for Him. May I remember that in all that I choose to do.
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