Matthew 26:50-54 This takes place in the garden at the arrest of Jesus:

‘Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him. And, behold, one of them which were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest’s, and smote off his ear. Then Jesus said unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. You think that I cannot now pray to my Father, and He shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?’

We watch a lot of first responder shows. Whether military, police, fire, EMT they all use the phrase “STAND DOWN” when a situation requires them to stop activity and wait further instructions. Many times the person in authority gives the call to keep his people safe and those that are there to help or protect, must step back and assess on how to best proceed. The one making the call has a great responsibility on their shoulders in those moments and if the men or women serving there don’t heed the order, disaster can strike, sometimes at the loss of life. Usually such a call is a tough one on all involved.

This whole thought brought a few lines from the old song ‘The Gambler’ came to mind:  ‘you’ve got to know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold em’, know when to walk away, know when to run.’ Bear with me for a moment while I unpack this.

In the book of Esther, Queen Esther was brought to prominence for the saving of her people. She knew to be silent on her Jewish heritage until prompted in fasting and prayer to bring such knowledge before her king. This saved her people from death and took out those who would do evil to her people. She had held her peace until prompted.

Paul, in Acts 22, is silent on his citizenship until he is about to be scourged. He reveals he is a Roman and states that he must be charged first with a crime. Such withholding of that detail allowed him to preach to the Jews and kept him from being punished at that time.

Joseph in Genesis 39:12 ‘ran’ from Potiphar’s wife to flee sin. Having suffered being sold as a slave by his brothers, he was now finding favor in the house of Potiphar, (captain of the guard for Pharaoh) but he fled from her to preserve God’s name and restore his family.

The rich young ruler ‘folded’ on his chance to follow Christ when he inquired of Jesus what he must to do follow him. (Luke 18). It meant giving up his way of life to truly follow Jesus. He was disappointed because he had great wealth and would have to sell and give up all he had to follow Jesus. He is one example who did not stand down, but there are others.

Jesus ‘walked’ away from crowds when they pressed in and soldiers sought him because it was not yet his time. John 10:39. When Jesus (in Matthew 26) was questioned by the high priest, He chose to say nothing as to whether He was the son of God or not. Jesus also chose to ‘fold’ his hand and allow the Lord’s plan to go forth, laying aside His own rights. Unlike the rich, young ruler, He did leave all He had for us to obey the perfect will of His Father and redeem us. He left heaven to come to earth to be the sacrifice for all who would receive Him as Lord of their lives.

Many of us; myself included; can go like the Tasmanian devil, entering into endless ministries and servitude. Yet God calls us to rest as well. His burden should be easy and His yoke should be light. (Matthew 11:30)  Jesus and these men and women of God, spoken of here, chose to STAND DOWN to their own desire and chose God’s will for their lives. They waited until the just time; they waited, ran and fled to preserve their right standing before the Lord and for His perfect timing to be revealed in their lives. We, too, must remember to listen to our Lord, the One in true authority of our lives, it is to our peril if we don’t.

A few questions to consider: Do we listen close enough to the Father in our prayer time to pursue only the things He truly wants us to put our hands, hearts and minds to for His Kingdom? Do we STAND DOWN when He wants us to spend time with Him and maybe take a different approach to some things in our lives or totally move in another direction? Do we STAND DOWN when the Holy Spirit says ‘NO’ or are we prideful and lacking self-control and continue in the same things thinking we know best or it’s what we’ve always to do? It is totally to our detriment when we disobey an order from our King, our Lord and Savior. 1 Samuel 15:22 states: Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in the obedience to His voice? Behold, obedience is better than sacrifice, and the attentiveness is better than the fat of rams. We must fix our minds on Christ Jesus and His Word, and the Holy Spirit will truly guide us.

Finally, an old pastor’s statement rings true again ‘all things for God are good, but not ALL things are best’. God wants His best for you, so STAND DOWN and desire His will.  He will show you, and in it you will have His joy and peace when you daily seek Him and lay yourself aside.

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