songsofjesus.com

Be still and know

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“Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10)

Do you think God is the only one who would like you to “be still”?  I have a feeling there might be more people out there wishing you’d slow down, relax, and stop doing what you’re doing long enough to notice them…

Be still, and know that I’m your wife.

Be still, and know that I’m your son.

Be still, and know that I’m your friend.

Be still, and know that I’m your neighbor.

Even your pets probably wish you could relax long enough to pet them!

Anxiety, worry, distractions and busyness plague us and rob us of the most important things in life.

My wife and I were in Door County, WI for a few days “getting away from it all” when God’s Word came to mind… “Be still…”  I didn’t expect the words, “and know that I’m your wife” to follow!  But that was, after all, what we were up there for.  It’s one of our favorite places to go and just be with each other.  It’s wonderfully quiet in the off-season when we most often visit, and it’s a place we’ve been coming to ever since we got married 11 years ago.  I look forward to it each time we travel there because it’s one of the special ways I can connect with my wife.  When we go, I don’t check my email; I don’t turn on a cell phone, I don’t even like to have a TV on most of the time, and rarely, if ever, do I have the car radio on- it’s just me and her together- and that’s all I want.

When we get away like that I often realize how distracted I am in the rest of my “everyday life”- When I’m back at home I’ve got tons of distractions and lots of things to occupy my mind and attention.  I have purposed lately that I need to “be still” and notice my wife more.  Not in those words exactly, but the thought has occurred to me at various moments just how blessed I am to have her.  Time will stand still every now and then and I will look at her and really see.  And I will think, “Wow!  This is the wife I asked God for all those long years of praying.  She’s actually here standing in the same room with me!  There was a time I thought it would never happen; when I thought I’d never be married- and there she is!  I have a life with her and God answered my prayers!”  And it will wash over me just how wonderful God has been to me and just how blessed I am to have her as my wife.

That’s what should happen more often!  That’s what “being still” is all about.  You can’t really see, if you’re not being still- life just flies by you along with all the people in your life, and it all becomes a blur.  Being still brings things back into focus.  Being still allows you to see that which is really important.

”Be still and know that I’m your wife…”

Husbands, I think you know that’s the heart’s cry of every married woman in the world!  They long for that.

It’s also the heart’s cry of children all over the world- “Be still and know that I’m your child.  I’m here!  Notice me!  Appreciate me!  See ME!”

We’re so busy and so distracted that we fail to really interact with people all around us.  Most of the world is crying out, “Be still, and know that I even exist!”

God most often gets the last scraps that fall off the table- if that.  In a world where we’re too busy to notice what’s right in front of us, a God who is unseen is all too often barely thought of at all.  We run around like chickens with our heads cut off- distracted, worried, anxious, stressed out- and miss the One who could help us through our daily life.

“Be still, and know that I am God!”

“I can help you!  I’m Almighty God, maker of the heavens and the earth!”

I like the alternate translation in the NASB:  “Relax, let go, and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)

The God who loves you

But there’s something even sadder than failing to get God’s help: it’s failing to know His love.

God would love nothing more than to spend time with us and we fail to see it.  We run about oblivious to the greatest love the world has ever known.  He’s right there in front of us and we don’t appreciate what we’ve got- we’re too busy to notice, too distracted to care.

“Be still, and know that I am God.”

Our Heavenly Father, along with many other people in our life, are just wishing, waiting, and hoping that we’ll be still long enough to notice them- Will we?

Tags: Anxiety, Be still, be still and know that I am God, distractions, slowing down, taking time for God, taking time for my wife