Be Still
I can’t even count the number of times I’ve read that verse, or heard a sermon about it, or attended a weekend retreat with that as the theme. I’ve heard it so many times, it hardly registers anymore. And if it does, it usually just makes me feel guilty about how busy or stressed I am. Even when I make time to physically be still, life continues to rage all around me, and though I’m calm on the outside for a few minutes, I’m never really still on the inside.
That has been especially true for me recently. Like many other writers, I’m preparing for the upcoming ACFW conference–creating one sheets and business cards, doing agent/editor research, polishing up proposals and sample pages–which is stressful enough (especially if you live in the land of Procrastination, or so I’ve heard). But then add work stress, car trouble, sickness, financial worries, getting the kids back to school, and a million other things and I’ve found myself under such a chaotic pile, I can hardly function.
And like He so often does, God spoke into my life at the very moment when I thought I couldn’t bear the weight of one. more. thing. He said, “Be still.” But it took on new meaning this time. We (I) tend to take this verse out of its context in Psalm 46, but the whole Psalm together is what paints the picture so beautifully. It speaks of the whole earth in turmoil–earthquakes, tsunamis, nations rising up against each other in war, kingdoms falling. But God lifts His voice and speaks over the chaos.
Psalm 46
God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.
Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Come and see what the Lord has done,
the desolations he has brought on the earth.
He makes wars cease
to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields with fire.
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
This is what I’m hearing Him say above all the turmoil and uncertainty in my own life:
Let your heart be still. I am your refuge. Come, stand in the River that will make you glad.
Stop running. Stop fighting. Stop chasing. Stop being afraid. Stop worrying. Stop freaking out about this and that and everything else. Stop trying to control everything. Just, stop. Keep your eyes on Me. I am your strength, no matter what. Every part of your life is safe here. Trust me, even when everything around you is shaking, and you’ll find joy.
Have you seen a scripture in a fresh way lately? Or do you have any tips on learning to be still?
