It can be stated, without fear of contradiction, that "BALANCE is a real mark of maturity," and it is our sincere desire to grow up into Him, and possess a well─balanced state of being. It was promised that "when He, the Spirit of truth is come, He will guide you into all truth." [John 16:13]. Truly we praise the Lord for this blessed work of the Spirit. May God keep us with an open heart, eager and ready to follow on into those things which He hath prepared for them that love Him. One thing is certain, if we remain yielded to the Holy Spirit's inworkings, we shall not become stagnant nor unbalanced, nor will He allow us to build a fence around some "pet concept" and remain there to wither and die. The work of the Spirit is both progressive and well-balanced, and there need be no fear to them that hear and obey His voice.
          The apostle Paul was able to declare, "For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God." [Acts 20:27]. Strange enough, however, we find much of man's teaching centerizing itself on certain truths which Paul proclaimed, but omitting or ignoring other facets which are equally important, if we are to rightly understand our walk before God, and to balance our character in its development.
          It is easy to compile a goodly number of references which apply to the theme of "doing, working, etc." Such as: "Whereunto I also labour, striving according to His working which worketh in me mightily." [Colossians 1:29]. "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." [Phil. 2:12]. "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." [Phil. 4:13]. "Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life." [1 Timothy 6:12]. Yes, one could go on and on to build up a solid case for active works, evidences that we must progress into these "good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." [Ephesians 2:10]. And, by the grace of God, we shall seek to fulfill all of the counsel of His will, as the Spirit reveals it unto us day by day.
          AND YET─ for all of this needful occupying and service to God, there is that other facet of truth which needs quickening to us, to be developed in us until it shall bring glory to His name, and that is "THE TIME OF STANDING STILL," not as a passive state, but as an active operation of the Spirit within us. There are many cycles of operation of the Spirit, this we know, battles and victories, seedtime and harvest. Paul would have us completely prepared for it all, as he writes, "Final, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, AND HAVING DONE ALL, TO STAND." [Ephesians 6:10-13].
          The words "TO STAND," while now under the spot-light of the Spirit, are nevertheless preceded by the words, " AND HAVING DONE ALL..." This leaves us with no unfinished business regarding the situation. The vows are paid, the conscience is clear, the preparations are made, all that man can do, apart from further instructions from the Lord, has been done─ THEN comes this glorious operation of the Spirit, "TO STAND." On another day, with new battles, new commissions, etc. there will be new works wherein "we are labourers together with God." [1 Cor. 3:9], but there are also these definite places in Him, in His purpose, where we are simply TO STAND STILL. How often we have come to those times when we have completely exhausted all of our own works which we knew to do, and have said to another, "if I knew anything else to do, I would do it," but we know that for the given situation we have "DONE ALL," and then we are at that point, that sure sign of victory, when the Spirit speaks, "stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord."
          To the natural mind, in its carnal reasoning, when one comes to an impasse, having no way to turn, the blind alley is a token of defeat and loss. But in the operations of God as we come to the end of our selves, and have fulfilled all that we have known to do, then divine arrangement has us right at the point of sovereign intervention and deliverance. When we reach that place where we can only, at the spirit's direction, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, to be sure, this is our prelude to victory.
          Yes, then STAND WE MUST, for any further action would be folly. There is no need to insist on any "works of the flesh" when the Holy Spirit has ceased giving us His instructions for further action. Such action will only wear us out, and if we dare say so─ it will turn faith into unbelief, for to substitute our FLESH WORKS (actions prompted, not by the Spirit, but by the carnal mind) for the vital actions of faith in the sphere of standing still until God accomplishes it, all such works are an evidence that we are not believing that God will do the work.
          We read of the promises, and they sound wonderful in our ears, "Behold, I will do anew thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert." [Isaiah 43:19]. "And I will make all My mountains away, and My highways shall be exalted." [Isaiah 49:11]. But for all this, how prone men are to try and make their own way. We have no condemnation for such people, for we are well aware of the fact that no one can believe in these promises and relate them to their given situations apart from a divine quickening, a Spirit illumination. But the point to which we would give emphasis is simply this. When we have done all that God has required us to do and we cannot take another step, but we have to stand still in God, this can be to us a sure sign that victory is nigh, for at that point only sovereign intervention will succeed.
          We have read the statement often in past times, "only sovereign intervention can save the day." The inference was, how tragic that we have come to such a state of affairs that there is nothing which any man can do to help any more. This should not be a time of the wringing of our hands in anguish, nor fretting at the conditions of chaos and confusion, for if our world affairs are finally coming to the point where men can do no more, then THANK GOD, for now we are that much closer to HIS VICTORY. When all that men can do is STAND STILL, AND SEE....our God shall reveal the victory which has been held in reserve for that very hour. Would to God that this could become a solid conviction in every heart, for then we would lift up our heads and rejoice, knowing that our redemption draweth nigh.
          There are times, however, when we do wonder how long it will take men to come to the place where they will acknowledge with Jeremiah, "0 Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps. 0 Lord, correct me, but with judgment; not in Thine anger, lest Thou bring me to nothing." [Jeremiah 10:23-24].
          Let us refresh our memories with the account from  which we took our scripture text. Israel was being brought out of Egypt. The passover had been kept, and the death angel had gone through the land slaying the firstborn in every home where the blood had not been applied to the door-posts. At first Pharaoh was most urgent in sending the children of Israel away, but as soon as they were gone, "THE LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued after the children of Israel." [Exodus 14:8]. All the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army went out in pursuit, and overtook the Israelites encamped by the Red Sea. Fear took hold of the Israelites, they were sure that they had been led out into this wilderness to die. Preachers of doom─ they had plenty of them. And it was in this dire situation that Moses gave this word, "FEAR YE NOT, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, WHICH HE WILL SHEW TO YOU TODAY."
          Always the Lord begins, "FEAR NOT." Fear and faith cannot walk together. "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment." [1 John 4:18]. Thank God, this needed LOVE "is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given unto us." [Romans 5:5]. The more the Holy Spirit works in us, the more we come to LOVE HIM, and the more all of our life is found in Christ, the less we fear any other realm. LOVE AND TRUST GO HAND IN HAND, and to fear these various situations is to reveal that we do not trust God to use them, working all into our good. How deeply we are challenged in this hour to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.
          Now, so it is, we are brought to that place where we have to just STAND STILL, and see what God will do. We would repeat, this "standing" is not a passive state, but AN ACTIVE OPERATION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT WITHIN. One does not give up in despair, neither are we to abandon hope, i.e. that expectation assured of fulfillment. The condition of standing denotes a firm, steadfast operation, fully alert and ready to see the victory unfold. So consider this realm of standing given in the various passages of the Scriptures.
          To begin with, we would appropriate from the words of Paul, "he that standeth stedfast in his heart." [1 Cor. 7:37]. Firm resolve and steadfastness is an inner condition of the heart. Whatever outward stand we take must be backed up by this heart conviction, else it will not prosper. Fickle crowds that will boastfully parade in the front lines today, will turn and scatter on the morrow. Only those who have a firm inner conviction will stand, though it means much time spent in waiting, and perhaps a lot of ridicule for their seeming inaction. But true standing is not inaction, if the whole being is committed to the  stand.
          There are various forms of "standing" in our military orders. When the command is given "at ease," then  the rigid stance is relaxed. But when the command is "stand at attention," the whole body firms up and is brought into a position of ACTIVE STANDING. "Woe unto them that are at ease in Zion." [Amos 6:1], for if we would SEE the salvation of the Lord, we must be at attention, "looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto aionian life." [Jude 21]. Surely this will require an eye single unto God. Those who would take their ease will find their eyes prone to wander, and if, for a moment, we look out of the corner of our eye to watch the beguilements of the adversary, before we are aware of it they will steal our vision away from the Lord, and we'll see only; the doubt, unbelief, fear, despair, gloom, etc. and miss the revelation of His salvation. But when we stand at attention, all the attention of the eye is singely focused upon the goal.
          "Now therefore stand still, that I may reason with you before the Lord of all the righteous acts of the Lord, which He did to you and to your fathers." [1 Samuel 12:7] . This is a good beginning to lead into the next passage, which reads, "stand fast in the faith." [1 Corinthians 16:13]. Now, "faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of the Lord." [Romans 10:17]. When it comes time to STAND STILL, nothing left that one must do, then it is good to stand still and before the Lord review all His wonderful works, to us, and to our fathers. This girds up the thoughts and centerizes the mind on the positive workings of God. Our faith is strengthened, while obstacles which fear and darkness have caused to appear all out of proportion are then reduced to little or nothing, in the true light of God's power and glory. We sing songs that admonish us to "count your blessings, name them one by one," but many still find it easier to rehearse all of their problems, aches and pains. Ah, stand still, and reason before the Lord of all His righteous acts. The whole perspective changes right before you while you are standing there. Furthermore, as we consider what GOD has done, and can do, it will surely cause us to put an end to anything the flesh might try to accomplish. HE will bring the victory, where man only grows weary and exhausted. "Lord, Thou wilt ordain peace for us: for Thou also hast wrought all our works in us." [Isaiah 26:12].
          "Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and WHEREIN YE STAND: by which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory (hold fast) what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain." [1 Corinthians 15:1-2]. Stand still, yes, but where shall we stand  IN THE GOSPEL, literally, THE GOOD NEWS! How much "good news" is there in the convictions wherein we stand? If we see everything for a tragic end, the devil as the winner who takes all, and everything a defeat as far as the kingdom of God is concerned, it is no wonder that many are having real difficulty in trying to stand. But if the GOOD NEWS is alive in our hearts, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day, and that BECAUSE HE LIVES, WE, TOO, SHALL LIVE, then we shall find it a joy to stand still, and see the salvation of our God.
          The good news is that He is Lord of all, He hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. His kingdom shall conquer until even the last enemy, death, is destroyed. And when death is abolished, it is self-evident that none remains, first death, second death, or any other death. Praise God! It is this GOOD NEWS OF DIVINE TRIUMPH which causes us to believe that our hour of "having done all, to stand still" is a sure sign of victory. We stand to see Him reveal that which He hath wrought.
          Yes, and "the whole creation is on tiptoe to see the wonderful sight of the sons of God coming into their own." [Romans 8:19, Phillips]. There are two ways of looking at the situations of today. The negative is to view all things for their chaotic condition, and that man is come to his bitter end, while things are at the brink of tragic consequences. But the positive view is that all these things have brought us down to the hour when all creation itself can do no more, and will have to also "stand still, and see the salvation of God." And this salvation will first be revealed in HIS SONS, His many brethren of whom He is the Firstborn. What to some is a picture of terrible conditions, is to us a SURE SIGN OF VICTORY, because now it will be GOD, AND GOD ALONE  vho shall come forth to execute judgment, and establish righteousness in the earth.
          Then we read again, "for by faith ye stand."[2 Corinthians 1:24]. Faith always pre-supposes a divine revelation; revelation is a secure basis upon which faith can take its stand. Thank God, we are receiving the good news, we are hearing from heaven that Word which gives assurance and confidence, even of those things which might yet appear afar off, should the vision tarry yet awhile. We cannot stand in the traditions of men, nor in the doctrines which spring out of the carnal mind. Only that which the Holy Spirit has personally quickened can become the sphere in which we can successfully stand. You are not required to take one step beyond that which the Spirit has revealed to you. You cannot walk in another's revelation. Therefore, when you have obeyed what HE has spoken to you, having done all, it is evident that all that remains is to stand still in the sphere of your God-given revelation, and see the salvation which He shall shew unto you this day.
          It is essential that we believe what God speaks to us. A revelation from God is of no personal value unless we receive it and believe it, and it becomes the sphere in which our faith stands. Yet many will receive judgment "because they have cast off their first faith." [1Timothy 5:12]. May it be said of us, "The just shall live by faith. ─We are not of them who draw back unto perdition, but of them that believe to the saving of the soul." [Hebrews 10:38-39].
          "I have written briefly, exhorting, and testifying that this is the true grace of God wherein ye stand." [I Peter 5:12]. GRACE─ that marvellous favour of God which is bestowed upon man, not because of his merits, for he has none, but because of God's love towards His creation. We stand, not in the sphere of self-attainment, to boast in the things we have done, but to view all as a product of His boundless grace, and to say with Paul, "But by the grace of God I am what I am." [1 Cor. 15:10].
          When one is STANDING IN GRACE there is no fear as to what the outcome will be, for "where sin abounds, grace did MUCH MORE abound: that as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord." [Romans 5:20-21]. If we stand in our own works, frustrated by the limitations of our own programs, there will be despair and defeatism. But when we are steadfast in the GRACE OF GOD, there is no alternative, victory is secure. Praise God for ever more! Even though the process is severe for the present, when God has brought us to the end of all our human accomplishments, and we face up to the fact that we are unable to gain the victory in ourselves, we have done all we can do, and have fallen far short, then is the time to STAND STILL, IN THE GRACE OF GOD, to see grace reign into life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
          "And when ye stand praying, forgive..." [Mark 11:25]. Yes, indeed, STANDING IS AN ACTIVE OPERATION OF THE SPIRIT, and here is an essential part of that standing. When, in our standing, we are praying─ and prayer is that personal communion and fellowship with God, our heart needs to be free of all petty things which may defile our spirit. FORGIVENESS IS AN ACT OF DIVINE LOVE! Here is a sure sign of victory! When,  during our standing still, we earnestly and honestly, by  the help of the Lord, forgive all those who have trespassed against us. Then shall we be so much the more prepared to receive the victory when it comes our way.
          "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage." [Galatians 5:1]. Here is an all─important part of our standing still, for there is no liberty like the liberty of fulfillment. When we have done all, and there is no unfinished business to condemn us, but whatever God spoke to us, we obeyed, then we are free to stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord. May God give us wisdom not to become entangled again with the yoke of bondage. It is strange that, when God delivers some folk from the bondage of servitude to some man, rather than remaining free from the domination of personalities, many soon become entangled again with another. There is no deliverance in just exchanging one fenced in pasture for another one with perhaps an even higher fence. There is no deliverance in being loosed from one program, if we turn around and plunge into another program. TO STAND STILL IN LIBERTY IS AN ACTIVE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, and how we need His enablement to maintain that position. This is not to infer that when God has severed your connections with religious institutional systems, that you will not be able to find fellowship with groups again. When GOD leads to a place for fellowship or mutual edification, it is good, but keep your liberty, lest when God would work in another manner you find yourself entangled and hindered from receiving that which He would do for you.
          "That ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel." [Philippians 1:27]. Not all situations and circumstances are related to us just as individuals. When there are several who are involved in a cycle of God's working, how essential it is that we all keep in one spirit, controlled by THE SPIRIT OF GOD. If a house be divided against itself, it cannot stand. The inner tension of spirit against spirit will cause us to become blinded to the real work of the Lord, and the victory which He would give. Keep "your spirit" right, and in harmony with the Spirit of God, and stand firm in this free spirit, and you will find that the outward disturbances which might blow up in the atmosphere will have no effect upon you.
          This leads us right into the next thought, for "he that is joined unto the Lord is ONE SPIRIT." [1 Corinthians 6:17].
          "So stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved." [Philippians 4:1]. There are many dimensions before us, and oftentimes we divide them into three aspects for easier consideration. There are those who know Jesus, in the workings of His being their Saviour. Others know Him as Christ, the Anointed One, and the true Anointing Spirit in their life. But we need to also know Him as LORD, as the sovereign Master of our life, so that in all things in us He has the pre-eminence. It is in His "LORDSHIP" that we need to stand fast, that nothing else be allowed to usurp this place, and certainly that our own will, ideas, purposes, etc. would not be allowed to supersede Him and take the control. HE MUST BE LORD. "For now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord." [1 Thess. 3:8].
          Yes, there are times of much spiritual activity and labour, but when, for any given situation, we have done all─ then it is time to stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord. And while this is beautiful in application to the realm of the spiritual, it is also true in the natural aspects. When God has brought creation to the end of all its efforts and struggles, and it can do nothing but stand still, then, praise God, this is a sure sign of victory, for HE shall be revealed, and His kingdom shall come, His will shall be done on earth, even as it is in heaven. "That you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God." [Colossians 4:12].

 
 
                                                   STAND STILL
 
                                Stand still, and see salvation's day!
                                Our heart is challenged by the thought
                                Of how all works of flesh shall cease,
                                Their tension, pressures now decrease,
                                Until man's program comes to nought,
                                And man returns to seek God's way.
                                The natural mind sees but despair
                                When paths all lead to alleys blind,
                                When every effort seems to fail,
                                And strength is spent against the gale ;
                                But there is hope after this grind,
                                For God is love, and God doth care.
                                To stand, to wait before the Lord,
                                Submitting all into His will,
                                This is a process most profound,
                                And yet it holds a joyful sound,
                                For when the work of self is nil,
                                We find our life IN HIM restored.
                                The "stand still" is part of His plan,
                                It works for Him a greater score,
                                And those who look beyond this hour
                                Shall see the moving of His power ,
                                To find God's grace aboundeth more,
                                And love shall rescue every man.
                                Stand still─ this does not mean defeat,
                                A tragic end, dark midnight gloom;
                                But this can be the surest sign
                                Of intervention all divine,
                                As God reveals the mystery's bloom,
                                And His rare purpose is complete.
 

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(1)  Prinzing, Ray and Doris. THE TRIUMPHANT WAY!. (now out of print), Boise, Idaho 83705}

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