Be Still

Be still and know.
Be still and believe.
Be still and worship.
Be still and abide.
Be still and listen.
Be still and obey.
Be still and glorify.
Be stilled.

 

In this world, I know that I can frequently get caught up in the busyness of life. We rush from event to event, from task to task, from friend to friend. Lately I’ve noticed that within myself, I long for busyness; I hate being idle. I’m not impatient, but if there’s an opportunity to do something, I’d rather do that: I’d rather be active than still.

While God does command us to not be idle, He also commands us to stop, breathe, and abide. He commands us to quiet our hearts and minds, and just to wait on Him.

I find stilling myself to be rather difficult. Not that I don’t want to spend time with God, but I want my time with God to be more of an activity, and not a quiet time. If me spending time with God looks like Bible study, or church, or a small group, I can do that. But just me stopping and cancelling everything else I could do, is very hard for me.

So what am I to do? What are you to do? I think it begins with recognizing who God is. Psalm 46:10 says

“Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

In that first part, God is saying to us that we need to know Him, before we do anything else. How well do you know God? Do you know God well enough that if He “called” you would stop doing whatever event or task you were currently attending to, and spend the next hour with Him? Really be honest with yourself. I know I don’t know God well enough for that to happen.

So how do I get to know God? Just like how any friendship starts: you’ve got to spend time with them. You’ve got to listen, understand, and converse with that friend. This isn’t exactly the same with God, so I’ll give you a conversion table.

Listening to a friend == Reading God’s word
Understanding a friend == Reflecting on God’s word
Conversing with a friend == Praying to God

Makes simple enough sense. Now do it! I know, I know it’s easier said than done. I’m right there with you. I’m going to work very hard to develop my relationship with my God; it’s the single most important relationship I will ever have.

So next time, don’t go out. Don’t neglect your friends, but don’t neglect your God either. He is more worthy of your time than your best friend on this earth. God died for you, has always loved you. He’s never stabbed you in the back, He’s never cheated on you, He’s never lied to you, He’s never left you out in the cold. He loves you. Love Him back. He’s worth it.

Be stilled.