Be Still

"He says, 'Be still, and know that I am God,'" -- Psalm 46:10

We recently had a terrible storm. It woke us up in the wee hours of the morning that can technically still be called night. But it was not the booming thunder or the sizzling lightening that woke us up -- it was the overwhelming loudness of the quiet, non-powered house. Our power was out. No ceiling fan whirled above our bed, no CPAP machine made its little whirring noise on my husband's nose, no refrigerator hummed in the kitchen. And the loudness of that echoed in our ears.

We are told in Scripture to "be still," and know that He is God...yet we find this to be so very difficult, to the point that we are disturbed by the absolute quiet of the absence of power. Being still is difficult for infant, child, teen and adult alike.

When we are faced with the opportunity to be quiet, and still, and to focus on God, our mind wanders to seven different to-do lists. Why is this? What is it about being still and quiet that makes us quake in our squeaky sneakers and fidget? Must we have the loudest ring tone on our phone? Must we apply every little noise to every little action on our computers?

The only saving grace in this is we're not alone. No one likes quiet. Ask any parent what "quiet" means and they will tell you that children are up to no good. The Christian walk is not easy, nor is it intended to be. The path is narrow, not wide. In order to be an effective Christian, we have to turn down the volume of stuff, of voices around us, of to-do lists and madness and chaos in our lives, and seek out His face.

Have you ever simply asked God to help you focus on Him? Have you asked Him to help you to be quiet and study the Scriptures? In this fast-paced, mad world we live in, slowing down and simplifying our lives to the point that we cut out all the junk, turn off the TV, and focus on the good things of God, is almost against the nature of society. But isn't that what Christians are supposed to do? Leaving the world behind, and focusing on the things of God?

Trimming the day's activities to fit in a quiet time to be alone with God is backwards. We should work the day's activities around a quiet time to be alone with God. Tithing time is as important as reaching for the checkbook every Sunday.

Close your eyes, think on God's Person, and simply pray, without checking your watch, worrying, or wondering what that noise is....it will still be there. "Be here now," and enjoy the quiet stillness of peace that being with God provides.

Amen.