God Works in Stillness

Devotional Classics, Dag Hammarskjold, Excerpts from Markings

I am the vessel.  The draught is God's.  And God is the thirsty one.

Maturity: among other things, the unclouded happiness of the child at play, who takes it for granted that he is at one with his playmates.

If only I may grow: firmer, simpler - quieter, warmer.

Before Thee, Father,

In righteousness and humility,

With Thee, Brother,

In faith and courage,

In Thee, Spirit,

In stillness.

Thanks to your "success," you now have something to lose.  Because of this - as if suddenly aware of the risks - you ask whether you, or anyone, can "succeed."  If you go on in this way, thoughtlessly mirroring yourself in an obituary, you will soon be writing your epitaph - in two senses.

Do what you can - and the task will rest lightly in your hand, so lightly that you will be able to look forward to the more difficult tests which may be awaiting you.

When the morning's freshness has been replaced by the weariness of midday, when the leg muscles quiver under the strain, the climb seems endless, and suddenly, nothing will go quite as you wish - it is then that you must not hesitate.

The third hour.  And the ninth hour. - They are here!  They are now!  "Jesus will be in agony even to the end of the world.  We must not sleep during that time."  (Pascal)

Understand - through the stillness,

Act - out of the stillness,

Conquer - in the stillness,

"In order for the eye to perceive color, it must divest itself of all colors."

Your own efforts "did not bring it to pass," only God - but rejoice if God found a use for your efforts in His work.

Be grateful as your deeds become less and less associated with your name, as your feet ever more highly tread the earth.  (pp. 357-360)

 One thing about small animals, picking them up too much tends to make them less friendly.   We have Pomeranians.  Some of the people they avoid most are the ones that try to pick them up all the time.  They want to come.  They may even crawl into your lap.  They are friendly.  They just don't like to be picked up a lot.

Even dogs seem to understand a "light touch."  Try to get them to like you by picking them up doesn't work. Somehow they need a little space and a little time to come.  Stillness helps.  It seems to help with a lot of things other than getting along with Pomeranians.

The stillness that Dag writes about begins with realizing that "God is the thirsty one."  He is far more active than I am.  He has made me to be filled and emptied.  Filled with what does not belong to me and what I cannot get on my own.  Filled with blessing.  Emptied of self-worry and self-satisfaction.  Empty with eager expectancy.  God thirsts to see me filled with blessing.  God thirsts to see me empty with eagerness before him.  Both bring stillness.

Stillness brings endurance.  As the tasks come, I can hold them lightly because the success is not mine to have nor mine to give.  I can endure because I know the one thirsty for my blessing and thirsty for my eager confidence.  He longs to show himself as true to me and to everyone.  I can rest in my work, even when it becomes difficult, because of the one who succeeds for me and through me.  I need not hesitate.  I can celebrate even before the task is done.

Stillness is not sleep.  It is not mere inactivity or passivity.  It is actively letting go of one thing to take hold of another.  The picture Dag has is good.  The eye must let go of colors to see another.  Stillness is darkness before the light.  It is not the stillness that brings understanding, action, or conquest.  It is the God who lives in and beyond the stillness.  "Moses approached the thick darkness where God was."  (Exodus 20:21)  God is light, but resides beyond darkness.  I learn that most often I must stop doing something before I can start doing something else.

In my work, stillness will bring confidence and blessing.  It will bring perseverance and God's success.  It will bring restful activity.  It will bring it, not because of my stillness, but because of God's loving activity.  "God is the thirsty one."

Lord, may my stillness come from faith and not fear or laziness.  I hope you will find use for my work.  Please teach me how to "tread lightly upon the earth" because of my confidence in you, True One.  Amen.

God can come into my work day through stillness.  If I could but stand and see what he will do for me, I might be able to begin to act out of that knowledge.  Pauses between actions may help me.