When was the last time you were intentionally still? How about the last time your mind blocked out the rat race and sat calmly? What about your spirit? Has there been a time recently when your spirit has purposely cast it's cares at the foot of the cross and rested in stillness? Why not? If you read Psalms 46:10 you will find the command that is quite possibly the most difficult to obey. It simply says, "Be still and know that I am God..."
For humanity, this is easier said than done. We are caught up in a precariously balanced schedule of work, school, errands, ballet, soccer, et cetera, et cetera. Each activity is carefully planned to fall at a precise time so the schedule works flawlessly. Sadly, all our meticulous planning leaves no time to simply be silent, be still. We race around planning and doing, solving and stewing in an attempt to prevent this or orchestrate that. If we stop and check, we realize that we have double booked--right over God's appointment. And why? Does all the doing bring us peace? Does all the stewing and strategizing make us feel less stressed? Do any of these things fill the "God space" in our souls? Do we realize the answer to these questions , if answered honestly, is, "No"?
Apparently not. Perhaps it's because we haven't tried being still. Perhaps we haven't really gotten to know God enough to comprehend what he's saying here. We haven't skipped the gym to spend time with God. We haven't cancelled the football party to have a prayer meeting. We haven't said "no" to the new committee at work in order to have time to simply sit still, unclutter our mind, settle our spirit, and know that God is God.
I have recent personal experience with learning to be still. You see, I had become burdened with a pile of concerns I simply didn't need to worry about. Some of them weren't even my issues. They would pop up the minute I started to pray and derail my thoughts. They followed me through the day, hounding each step and wreaking emotional havoc. They kept my spirit troubled, my heart distressed. In the midst of it all, I repeatedly heard the words, "Be still", echoing in my head. So I took some time one morning, read the Bible, prayed, blocked out everything else, stilled my spirit, and allowed God to be God. The pile of "stuff" dissipated. My spirit healed. My heart mended. My faith grew. My God and I were one again. And now I consistently hear the whispering in my heart urging me, "Be still..." When things are out of my control, "Be still." When I'm frustrated, anxious, terrified, "Be still." When all I can do is trust, "Be still."
The truth is, our human efforts are simple and often ineffective. Our worrying accomplishes nothing. Our strategizing may or may not pan out. But our God is a sure thing. He is our refuge and strength in trouble. (Psalms 46:1) He knows the path before us. (Job 23:10) He has the answers we have no hope of conjuring on our own. (Isaiah 55:8-9) He has promised to be a helper who never leaves or forsakes. (Hebrews 13:5-6) And he is readily available when you simply be still and let God be God.
In I Kings 19:11-13, Elijah looks for God in the wind, an earthquake, and a fire, but finds him only in the still, small voice that followed. If he had been raging, he would have never heard it. Neither will you. So halt the craziness of your schedule. Carve out an appointed time with God. Stop talking. Stop worrying. Stop plotting. Just stop. And immerse yourself in the busyness of being still.
Be still and know that God is God.
