Be Still And Know
By Lori Bova, Patriot Mom
I have a confession to make. The Lord’s been “wrangling” with me (and I do not use that term loosely!) for some time about being still. He has given me a longing for a simpler life. I have struggled with where to say no…when to stop. He has given me medical problems that stress only exacerbates. During this little dance with God, I have discovered that I simply DO NOT KNOW how to be still. I do not know how to unplug. There is always something that I should be doing…another load of laundry…sweeping the kitchen floor…reading to my kids…planning meals. That bothers me. When Jesus was in the midst of the craziest of times, that is precisely when He slipped away for some quiet time with His Father.
God invites us to be still. He freely extends an invitation for the weary to join Him for a little rest. He longs and even woos us to spend quality time with Him to refresh our souls. It seems many days we just don’t put the invitation on the top of the pile. It gets lost in the never-ending stack of things to do. We seem to think that when life slows down a little we will have time for Him. We believe that not responding to the invitation will go unnoticed and we can apologize and catch up later. Thankfully, our God knows His children and misses us when we don’t make our appointments with Him.
His desire is not for us to meet with Him to simply check it off our “To-Do” list for the day. He wants to fill us. He wants us to know Him more. I have read many times that our lives can only hold so much. If they are filled up with one thing, there is no room for something else. The moral to this story is that we should do a lot of thinking about what we want our lives to be filled up with. It seems the CHAOS so many times wins out over the ESSENTIAL – knowing our Father in a deep and intimate way.
I want to challenge you ladies to find some “unplugged” time. For me, it has become somewhat of a competition. Can I leave the computer off for an entire day? Can I stay home all day without running out for something? Can I go to bed at a reasonable hour? I want you to fill this still time in His word, in prayer, or in praise. I can guarantee that God will honor it. Be still girls. God wants you to!
From Joanne Heim’s, Misplacing God (and finding Him again)
My Child,
Come away with me by yourself
And get some rest.
Be still and know that I am God.
I will satisfy you with good things
And restore your strength.
I will waken you morning by morning
And I myself will teach you;
I will direct you in the way you should go.
My compassion never fails;
Great is my faithfulness.
Wait for me.
Put your hope in me
And you will not be disappointed.
You are mine and I love you,
Your Abba
