The Savior's Power of Stillness

In the introduction to the recent book The Power of Stillness: Mindful Living for Latter-day Saints, the authors discussed the story of the Savior with the woman taken in adultery. They suggested that it is an example of how He responded to an otherwise loud and contentious situation with stillness and calm. They described, “Confronted by these indignant accusers, the Lord doesn’t try to overpower them with dramatic words or shouting. Nor does He step away in fear—although the crowd could have been a danger to Him as well. Instead, He holds still. And ‘as though he heard them not,’ Jesus ‘stooped down’ to the ground, where He wrote with His finger in the dust. As the agitated voices around Him persisted in demanding an answer, the Savior remained fully calm. He then offered some few, quiet words—just a single sentence. Then He bent down again to the ground. More than simply His words, something about the Lord’s presence in that moment stilled and softened the crowd to the point that they dispersed entirely (John 8:3-10).” Surely this is an example we should seek to follow as we too face demanding situations filled with stress, anxiety, and pressure in our often hectic lives.

               As I have pondered this perspective on the experience with the woman taken in adultery, I realized there are many similar incidents in the Savior’s life that showed He responded to difficult situations with calm and stillness. When the storm raged and their boat was filling with water in the Sea of Galilee, “he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow.” The desperate disciples awoke Him saying, “Master, carest thou not that we perish?” Surely most of us would have jumped up at that moment, panicked along with the rest, and joined whatever frenzied efforts they were engaged in trying to save their ship. But that’s not how the Savior responded; instead, “He arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?” (Mark 4:37-40) He answered with perfect calm and stillness. The way He reacted to Lazarus’s death was similar in contrast to the desperation of others in the story. First, He did not rush to get there when he heard of Lazarus’s condition. When “he had heard therefore that [Lazarus] was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was.” Despite the fact that his friend was sick and surely they were petitioning Him to come immediately, He was in tune with His Father’s will and knew that He needed to wait despite the apparent urgency. When He finally did arrive, He was met with the weeping Mary and Martha as well as “the Jews also weeping” in what was surely a great scene of lamentation and mourning. There were even those there seemingly criticizing Him, saying, “Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?” Despite the commotion, He calmly went to the place of burial and said simply, “Lazarus, come forth” (John 11:6-43). Again He responded to a scene of turmoil with stillness and purpose, without frenzied actions or desperation.

               Other stories of similarly show how His life was instilled with a calm serenity that contrasted the loud world around Him. For example, after miraculously feeding the five thousand, the people were clearly excited and “Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king.” So what did He do? “He departed again into a mountain himself alone” (John 6:15). He left the loud (and greedy) praise of the world of the multitude and went off alone to be alone “to pray” and commune with the Father (Matt. 14:23). When Jesus learned of the death of His friend John the Baptist, “he departed thence by ship into a desert place apart,” surely seeking quiet and stillness for Him to be with the Father (Matt. 14:13). He even faced death and humiliation with a similar perfect calm and serenity. When He was unjustly tried before the Jews, He responded calmly and without railing. One of the officers struck Him in the face when he did not like the Savior’s answer. Jesus responded with this incredible, peaceful reply: “If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil: but if well, why smitest thou me?” To be able to respond to brutality and personal attacks like that showed the incredible power He possessed over Himself. He was similarly calm and still before Pilate and Herod as he was threatened with death. Surely we could cite many more instances of the power of stillness He possessed in all situations. His life is a reminder for all of us that we need more calm and serenity, more patience and self-control as we face challenges and contention every day. He showed that there is great power in seeking to be still and hearing the voice of the Lord instead of brashly seeking to make ourselves heard alongside a cacophony of worldly voices.