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.

Watches of the Night

Four o'clock in the morning. That's what the clock said. I know that for a fact, because I was awake at that time. Worry gripped my heart like a quarterback grips a football. It seems that in the quiet darkness of the night that problems loom larger, fears overtake us, and the enemy prowls around, making our hearts pitter and jump at normal house-settling sounds.

It's at these times that we are called to prayer. The Bible speaks of the "watches of the night." Biblical historians point out that in Old Testament times there were three watches in the which the time between sunseet and sunrise were divided, so watchmen could relieve each other from keeping a close eye to the approach of enemies. In New Testament times the watches were extended to four, probably thanks to the Romans.

Psalm 63:6 states, "On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night." The author David had his share of sleepless nights, laying awake looking in the darkness for men trying to kill him. How often do we lie awake, pondering issues and working problems around in our heads like some sort of brain clay? What to do, what to do?

"Arise, cry out in the night, as the watches of the night begin; pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord," writes the author of Lametations (2:19). Do we not wrestle with our fears like Jacob wrestled with the Lord? Will we fall lame from the wrestling? Or at least wake in the morning carrying the weight on our shoulders as the bags under our eyes?

I have found that it at times like these, instead of giving more power to the enemy by waking me up and reminding me of my shortcomings, fears, failures, unpaid bills, and my deepest, darkest screts -- I do what Jesus told every person he healed that was laying on a mat: "Get up." Instead of giving the enemy more power, I have learned that it is during the watches of the night that Jesus, my Protector and Shield Who never sleeps, wishes to have a moment of uninterrupted quiet time with me.

So, Bible in hand, I creep through the darkened house and sit in a comfortable sofa, say, "Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening...." and I pray. I pray for all the things that were keeping me awake, all my fears and worries, and more often than not, Jesus touches my need and blesses me with an answer or two or four. The biggest blessing is in the quiet time, in the still of the night, with my Lord.

Then, after deep breaths and a smile on my face, I close my Bible, creep back to bed, and sleep with the peace that passes all understanding -- all because of fellowship with Christ during the watches of the night.