Hey God, are you listening to me?
Do you hear me Lord? Are you sure?
Sometimes it just doesn’t seem like we’re even on the same page. Know what I mean? I mean this world has beat me up recently and I’m struggling to hold my head above water here. How about throwing me a few breaks?
God, are you sure you’re listening… I mean I’m starting to sense this real distance between us. Do you have any idea of the messes I’ve been coping with lately? I can’t even begin to tell you how frustrating this is. Stressful. Uneasy. Nauseating. Sure, I’ve got ideas about how to deal with everything. It’ll all work out somehow.
But God, I’m going to be honest here. We need to talk about this stuff. I’m serious. When are you going to rescue me from all this trouble? What’s that you say?
Check out Psalm 46:10.
Be still and know that I am God.
Psalm 46:10
Be still? Are you serious? I’m afraid if I stay still, this world will swallow me alive. If I stay still, everything and everyone will pass me by. I can’t have that, can I? I mean, Michael Jackon is gone, the stock market’s in the tank again and they may be talking furloughs at the office. Be still? Are you sure about that? ‘Cause I’m not convinced that will even work.
Have you ever been there? I believe that bible verse in Psalm 46 is one of the most important directives in all of scripture. Please don’t miss it. The first part of that short verse is the command portion: Be still.
That doesn’t mean push “mute” on the TV remote. It doesn’t mean turn down the radio on the drive to work. It doesn’t mean relaxing every muscle in your body. (though that might not be a bad idea). Be still goes much deeper than any of that. It means shut the things of this world completely out of your mind. Oh, yes, that will take some doing and some practice.
I’m talking everything. Forget your worries, your work, your sinking 401K, your family concerns, your physical ailments, your doubts, your fears. Everything.
Not so easy to accomplish, is it?
To listen to God and receive God’s comfort, sometimes we must shut out everything else. I mean everything. That is the “stillness” in which we are prepared to contemplate the creator.
You see, it’s not a matter of taking my laundry list of troubles, worries, fears and insecurities to God.
It’s a matter of me dismissing all of that to focus on Him. Him alone.
Be still. That directive is the hardest part.
Next comes the easy stuff: And know that I am God. Once you’ve dismissed every worldly worry, focus on the creator of the universe. Contemplate his majesty. His might. His love. You’ll discover the joy of the words, “If God is for us, who can be against us?”. Great news: God is on your side. Don’t ever forget that; especially when this old world beats you to pieces.
There’s simple wisdom in those marquee signs outside of churches. There’s one that says: “If you feel farther away from God, guess who moved?”. I have to remind myself often: Steve, just shut up and be still.
There’s comfort beyond description in that quietness.
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