Growing up in our family home we had two armchairs, each passed down from my Grandfathers. They were the kind of chairs that after a long day of school you would collapse into. There was something comforting and reassuring about them knowing that they had previously belonged to my Grandfathers. It didn’t matter the day that I had, I found security in them, comfort and strength.
Recently I attended the Colour Conference and amongst all the news of the surrounding coronavirus we were mobilised this time round to actually ‘be still.’ This word rather prophetic for this season of life we were entering. A season of being still in our hearts and minds. That despite what was going on in the world around us or the day that we had, that we could actually just rest into ‘His armchair of love’. As that is where security and hope are found. It is where we are reassured of His great love for us, it’s where we have a greater sense and awareness of who He is and therefore whose we are. It is where we are reminded of the great promises that He has for us and what He is capable of.
To ‘Be still' literally means to stop striving, stop fighting, and you guessed it—relax. It also means to “put your hands down”. Often in life we put our hands up to defend ourselves, but to be still also means to put your hands down.
Psalm chapter 46, verse 10: ‘He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”’
Exodus chapter 14, verse 14: ‘The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.’
Psalm chapter 62, verse 5: ‘For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.’
So, what does it look like to rest in his armchair of love?
Reminding ourselves that He is faithful
That He who was faithful to our father’s generation and our father’s father’s generation will also be faithful to us today. 1 Corinthians chapter 1, verse 9: ‘God is faithful’.
Being secure because we have a good father
That regardless of the current situation or circumstance, He is good and is doing good things. He is who He says He is and is not surprised by this current pandemic. Meaning that we can indeed keep our emotions intact and continue to look for the miracles that He is performing.
It’s refusing to give into panic and/or fear
No one really thinks I am going to start panicking or fearing now, but after a day full of negative events, it is rather amazing how fearful or anxious we can be. Yet what I have found is that faith is a choice. In a moment, we can put praise music on and begin thanking Jesus for all He is doing amidst the darkness. In a moment we can start speaking life in our conversations. We have the ability to turn our homes and workplaces from a fearful driven atmosphere to one of wonder and praise; all whilst adhering to the wisdom and advice given, and caring for the welfare of others.
It’s knowing we are highly favoured
That as children of God in unprecedented times we would also have unprecedented favour. Psalm chapter 90, verse 17: ‘May the favour of the Lord rest on us’.
That despite an economic downturn, we would firmly take a hold of this for our family, friends and wider church community.
In His ‘big, old,’ armchair there is healing, there is love and there is rest.
Elise Pappas is a Pastor and together with her husband pastor a church on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia. They have a son, Jonathan and a daughter, Sophie. Elise is a former clinical drug trial research coordinator and business owner. She writes about life and ministry experiences.