Just Be

This bulletin article came to me as a question regarding the phase, “Just be.” What verses in Scripture support this phrase and speak of its meaning? I received this question by text and, the moment I began to answer it, I knew I had much more to say than I would like to put in a text.
“Just Be” is a phrase that originated with Pastor Deater, as far as I know. He was my pastor–and many of yours. I served the Lord alongside Pastor Deater for almost 20 years after he ordained me in 2003. Before that, Pastor Deater’s ministry had taken a drastic turn from law to grace. The Lord was at work to reveal the truth of the cross—a truth Pastor Deater was never told in Lutheran seminary. This truth is that, as Jesus declared in His final breath, “It is finished,” applies to US. It refers to all the work needed to bring God’s chosen into His kingdom. Moreover, the cross made us holy, blameless, and free from accusation. With tears of joy, he learned and passed on to us that forgiveness is complete. From first to last, our sins are remembered no more. Beyond that, He learned that “It is finished” meant we were set free from sin and had become new creations—born again—through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Now, being a pastor means that people come to you with questions and problems. They want you to solve them, or at least, to tell them what to do. Realizing that all of our answers are contained within the cross, he found himself telling people to “Just Be.” It was his way of saying, “You don’t have to do anything, because it is already been done for you. It is finished. One passage he would often quote is, “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.” 2 Pet 1:3. The key here is the word “knowledge,” which tells us that knowing Jesus as our Lord and Savior (by faith) grants us access to the entire Kingdom and His power and love. So, “Just be” was another way of saying, “Just believe.” Jesus echoed this truth to a distraught synagogue ruler named Jairus. His daughter was sick and dying. Jairus went to Jesus, saying that he knew Jesus could heal her if He wanted to. On the way to his house, servants brought word that his daughter was dead, and that he should not trouble Jesus any further. To this, Jesus said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.” Lk 8:50.
Other verses that contributed to the truth of “Just be” are “Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10. “They that wait upon the Lord, shall renew their strength.” Isa 40:31. “In repentance and rest is your salvation; in quietness and trust is your strength.” Isa 30:15. Also, “There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God. For anyone who enters God’s rest, rests from his own work, just as God did from His (on the seventh day). Hebrews 4:9
In the latter part of His ministry, Pastor Deater was often given to remind us of the Sabbath-rest, encouraging us to rest in the knowledge of who we are in Christ, along with the gifts and blessing we have already received through the death and resurrection of Jesus.
Pastor Deater spoke the truth, and I will forever praise God for giving me his teaching and his friendship. I too believe the Christian life is a Sabbath-rest. We rest from our labors trying to please God—for we are already pleasing to Him—and from trying to live the Christian life according to the law—which is impossible.
These days, our Lord often has me saying, “Just ask, just seek, just knock.” These words are an invitation from the Holy Spirit to believers regarding His gifts, His fruits, His life, and His power. From our Sabbath-rest, we seek the Holy Spirit.