God’s Got This: Devotions of Courageous FaithSample

Be Still and Know

In April 2018, Jason Lee Jones was diagnosed with stage 4B throat cancer. For context, there is no stage five. His ear, nose, and throat specialist cried while telling him to cancel all future commitments. Within a week, the lead cancer specialist prescribed thirty-five radiation treatments and six chemo treatments. His wife, Gina, noted that doctors only cry when they doubt their patients will survive.

Months before this fateful appointment, while ministering with us in Mozambique, Jason heard God tell him that He wanted to teach Jason a realm of stillness he had never known before. Back in the doctor’s office, Jason thought of Psalm 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God” (NIV). As soon as I learned of his diagnosis, I called him. We prayed Psalm 91, which became a constant declaration throughout his struggle. He refused to be consumed with questions of why he had gotten cancer or why he hadn’t been supernaturally healed. His biggest concern was how to support his family since he couldn’t lead worship or work. God simply reminded him to be still. Many people supported his family with prayer and finances, showing kindness far beyond their expectations.

In stillness, Jason learned a facet of God that he’d never known before: the fruit of the Holy Spirit is the highest form of spiritual warfare. Jason was determined to fight with patience, outlasting his enemies. Whenever he lost his sense of peace, he reminded himself that he was seated in the shadow of God Most High. He hid in the promises of God’s Word, face-to-face with Jesus. During radiation treatments, he declared Isaiah 60:5, “You will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy” (NIV). He prayed, God, the physicians are treating me with radiation, but You are the radiance. You surround me. I look to You, and I am radiant. On his sickest days, he felt like he was swallowing razor blades and he would lie on the couch and listen to worship music. Whenever he felt anxious or frustrated, he remembered that those feelings are not fruits of the Spirit and he refocused his heart. Jason completed treatment in June 2018. By September of that same year, he received the results of the PET scan: he was cancer free! God brought him to the other side.

In 2 Corinthians 3, Paul teaches us that we become what we behold. The idea is that when we stand before God and minister to Him, He reveals Himself to us and we reflect His character. Like King David, it is normal to ask questions and experience emotions. David was raw and real in the Psalms but always brought his concerns to God. Imagine yourself with Abba Father, with His massive arms wrapped around you, covered by His majesty. Bring your burdens to Him. He will meet you with love and faithfulness. And remember that you are seated under the shadow of El Shaddai, God Most High.

I posture myself under the shadow of Shaddai, God Most High. I live in the stillness of God, face-to-face with Jesus. I become what I behold. God, You’re the hope that holds me and the stronghold to shelter me. I am hidden in Your promises.

Action Steps 

• Be still. Posture yourself under the shadow of Shaddai in a place of stillness (see Psalm 91:4). 
• Behold Jesus (see Psalm 42:5). 
• You become what you behold. The fruit of the Spirit will grow in you as you sit still in God’s presence, beholding His face.