To read: Psalm 46:10
"Be still, and know that I am God!"
To think about:
"Be still …" Does that sound like a foreign concept? We live in a country that never seems to sleep … maintain a pace of life far more hectic than we prefer … have "in-boxes" that only seem to grow taller … and never-ending business and social obligations. It feels as if we barely have time to sleep, let alone to spend "quality time" with family and friends, or to do something healthy like exercising or relaxing like listening to music. Do you ever find yourself thinking that maybe "cloning" isn't such a bad idea?
And what about our time with God? What "sliver" of our 24 hours, if any, do we devote to him? And when we do make the time, are we really "still" or do we spend all the time "talking," never really "listening" for his words to us? His words of comfort, of inspiration, of truth, of life… Words that would calm us when we are harried. Words that would guide us when we are lost. Words that would give us peace when we are afraid. If we'd only listen …Words of love, words of hope, words of peace.
Maybe, just maybe, if we made a real effort to "be still" we would know our God in a way that we've never known him before. And maybe, just maybe, the time we spent with him would bring us a "stillness" inside that is exactly what we need. After all, he always knows what we need--and when we need it--far better than we. So maybe, just maybe, if we stop for just a second and "listen," we would give him a chance to give us what we need most … his love, his hope, his peace. "Be still" and know our Lord in all of his glory!
To pray:
Heavenly Father, we come to you today in the midst of our hectic lives and ask you to help us make time for you. Time to "be still" and listen to your message for us. Time to "know" you more fully, more personally. Time to feel your love, your hope, and your peace. And time to thank you, Lord, for the many blessings in our lives and the beauty that surrounds us, precious gifts from you which we too often take for granted. Help us, Lord, to remember that "time" is also a gift from you, and "time" spent with you the most precious of all. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.