April 14, 2024

Psalm 46.10  (NIV)
“Be still, and know that I am God.”

Find time for solitude and rest in your belovedness.*

I have always thought of this verse as a cause and effect: if you will be still, you will know that he is God.  But another way to look at it is as a process.

Step 1: Be still. Stop what you’re doing!

Step 2: Know that he is God. Who’s in charge here?

We have such a need to be productive that sometimes we aren’t sure who we are if we’re not doing something.* We really take to heart the old saying, “Pray as if it all depends on God; work as if it all depends on you.” Our busyness defines us and inflates our self-worthiness. But we don’t find God in our crowded calendars.

It is possible to know that he is God without being still but there is much to be gained from combining the “getting to know him” with the “being still.” It’s an opportunity to think about his holiness and to dwell on his other attributes and to praise him. He wants our undivided attention!

The spiritual disciplines of solitude and silence are a gift of grace that allow us to be still long enough to let the water of our souls settle again, allowing things to become clear on the surface so we can see what’s going on underneath.*