Tag Archives: Be still and know that I am God

Know about God – or know God?

Leave a reply

 

You can know about God and still not know God.

 

Think about a famous person in history. You might know when they were born and when they died, where they lived, and some of their major accomplishments and contributions to this world. Maybe you have done research and are considered an expert! But do you actually know that person?

 

Knowing about someone is not the same as actually knowing them.

 

There are probably people in your life that you think you know. You work with them and see them at the store. You know how they dress and what sort of house they live in. You may even admire and respect them. But if you haven’t taken time to draw close to them and share the things in life that are most meaningful, you probably don’t know them.  Even in church, you see people, smile at them, and chat with them. But we too often let walls of politeness separate us from actually getting to know them. I think it was one of Robert Frost’s poems that said, “Good fences make good neighbors.” Maybe good fences help us to live politely with others, but do they really make us good neighbors? Unless we approach the fences and build a confiding gateway to conversation, will we ever get to know one another, even if we do know about them?

 

This is true about God too. I’ve met people who seem to know a lot about God and yet don’t seem to really know Him or the power of His promises. Some will contest, “Who can know the mind of God? He is too great for us to comprehend with our puny earthly minds!”  I agree. We will never be able to put God in a box and define Him in our terms. But He has revealed Himself to us throughout history and continues to invite us to draw close to Him, to know His character. He wants us to not only know about what He has done and still wants to do. He longs for us to come into His presence and know Him.

 

It’s beneficial to know about God. His great feats of majesty and mercy inspire us to great hope. But beyond the intellectual gymnastics of knowing about God there is peace and joy and power to be found in knowing God as a child knows their father.  And how does one come to know God? Just like you come to know a very close friend: spend time with Him – when you are tired, angry, confused, filled with sorrow, and astounded by joy and grace. When you are dismayed, disappointed or depressed. Put everything else behind you and just start talking, and then be quiet and listen. Teach yourself to hear His still small voice whisper His love to you and His plans for you.

 

“Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10

 

 

Are you tired and weary?

Leave a reply

 

 

We live in a busy world. In fact, by the way we fill up our lives with so much activity, you would think our goal is a tombstone that reads, “Sure kept busy!” Of course, that is not our goal in life, but it is often our pursuit. All this activity, albeit sometimes necessary in some seasons of life, is tiring, isn’t it? It robs us of energy for contemplation, meditation, prayer – for drawing close to God…and each other.

 

Being a rather ‘Type A’ personality with a high metabolism, much of my life has been driven by goals and activities. “Idle hands are the devil’s playground,” I was taught. While there is some truth to that, the constant weariness of Leukemia has taught me that only idle hands can be offered to God when seeking His presence. “Stop striving. Be still and know that I am God,” He calls to us (Psalm 46:10). “Come to me all you who are weary, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)  The world tells us “no pain, no gain – push to the limit.” But Isaiah counsels us, “The Lord gives strength to the weary. Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.” (Isaiah 40:29-31)

 

Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out? Give it a rest. Stop striving. Stop worrying. Give it up to God – again and again. Practice resting in His presence. Find His grace and rediscover your light.

 

The Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.  Numbers 6:25-26

 

 

The answers you seek are found in being still

2 Replies

Everyone is looking for answers. How do I find peace? Where do I find happiness? What does a fulfilling life really look like? Why is there pain and suffering in the world? When will it ever end? How can I make it through this day/week?

As many questions as we have, we tend to try many paths to finding answers: we roll things over and over in our minds, we search our hearts, we listen to those around us, we revert back to what our parents did, we read articles and books. Sometimes, we actually go to God, which is always our best first choice!

But consider this before frantically searching out solutions and answers:

“The answers you seek never come to mind when the mind is busy. They come only when the mind is still.” (Author unknown)

Being still is such an unpopular and uncharacteristic state of being in a society that seems to worship activity and self-effort. Ask that of someone who is near the end of life and I’m pretty sure they would concur; busyness is not the goal that rewards.

But how do you cultivate the discipline of being still? Maybe there are daily activities and habits you really could stop or slow down in order to create islands of peace and quiet throughout the day. I used to be tied to checking emails and messages all the time, as if the world would stop spinning if I didn’t respond to something within a minute!

Even if it seems impossible to stop any of your spinning plates for fear they will all come crashing down, who doesn’t have a few seconds before moving on? That’s literally all it takes to pause, take a deep breath, say a word of thanks, or remind ourselves who we are in God’s sight and who He is. And if we don’t take small moments to recharge throughout the day, how effective will we be anyway?!

We have limited choices: seek Him in stillness or go our own busy way. (And we only have to ask how going our own way is really working for us to realize how much we need to learn the art of being still before God!)

In The Secret (Chris Tomlin)
In the secret, in the quiet place
In the stillness You are there.
In the secret, in the quiet hour I wait,
Only for You,’cause I want to know You more.

Be still and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10