the inactivity of faith

As a rule, faith by nature is active. If you know me, and you are getting to know me a bit through blogging, you'll soon see me as prefering to be active. And that preference I find (and others too) can have its downside. All too often I keep doing or talking when I ought to be still and quiet.

Faith has as part of its practice the need for inactivity. Sometimes we need to be quiet and still. And I do mean this in the context of prayer, reading and meditating on Scripture, in humble fellowship with others in Jesus with both ears eager to listen and a mouth shut or slow to speak. I have found that a grace and peace comes as we try to, in a submissive stance before God simply look to him, waiting for him and for his help.

Now I can enter into this sense of grace and peace, but I can just as quickly abandon it by my overactivity. Yes, we need to become active again, but we need to seek to do so as those who do not speak or act on every impulse. I find that what I say and do as a rule goes much further if the quantity is turned down. I can get in the way of what God wants to do in and through others as well as in and through myself. I have to hold myself back, and especially so at times, when I want to speak or act. God's humbling work in our lives also helps us to do this.

This aspect of faith is for my own good which in turn ends up being for the good of others.


What about you? What have you learned about the inactivity of faith?