“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him.” Psalm 37:7
So, let’s have a show of hands from everyone who can sit
still for any length of time, shut your mind off and wait to hear from
God? If you raised your hand, I want to have a conversation with you so you can teach me how to do that. I have never been able to quiet my mind for
any significant length of time (except when I'm sleeping and even then it's questionable about my mind being still). Every time I’ve
tried to sit in silence to hear from God, I might last 30 seconds (on a good
day) and then this is what happens:
Boy the birds sound so pretty today . . . . I wish that
person would take their dog inside so it will stop barking . . . . I need to
do some laundry . . . . Oh, I can’t forget to get honey next time I go to the
grocery store . . . and toilet paper;
maybe I should make a list. No, you’re supposed to be sitting quietly with the
Lord . . . Dang, I wish that stupid dog would shut up. Who lets their dog stay outside and bark for
20 minutes? . . . . I’m really uncomfortable; maybe if I get more comfortable I
won’t be so distracted . . . . yeah, that’s better. I’m really comfortable
now. Zzzzzzzzz . . . . And. I’m. Out!
Quieting my mind most definitely is not one of my
gifts. And frankly, I think it’s
impossible. But this message of being
still before the Lord has come to me many times in the past few weeks. It keeps popping up in my reading. I’ve tried to just sit and quiet my
mind. But I have not been successful at
it.
Recently, however, I’ve thought about being still before God
in a different way than just sitting and trying to quiet my mind (which, clearly doesn't work for me). This different perspective came to me several weeks
ago when our minister, Craig, quoted this verse in his sermon:
“Be still
and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10
Then Craig talked about Moses hearing from God and God telling
Moses that He is the “I AM” (Exodus 3:14).
When Craig, said that God is the I AM, I wrote this in my
sermon notebook,
I AM . . . _________
During this sermon, it struck me that maybe being still
doesn’t necessarily mean sitting quietly and doing nothing. I know that we are to sit quietly and spend
time with God. But I think God is
telling me to still my mind rather than constantly trying to figure
things out. When I think I’ve heard from
God, I’m always trying to figure out the how and the why and the what if. God just wants me to still my mind and know
that He is the I AM.
When Jesus walked on the water and told Peter to get out of
the boat, Peter immediately did it (Matthew 14:29-31). He didn’t think about it, he didn’t try to
make sense of it, he didn’t try to figure out why or how. He got out of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. Peter’s mind was still and he knew that Jesus
was the I AM. It wasn’t until Peter
started thinking about things and trying to make sense of it that he noticed
the wind and rain and got scared. And then
he fell into the water. Jesus wanted
Peter to know that He is the I AM of all things. Including the miraculous and unexplainable.
When God asks me to do something, it’s not my job to try to
figure it out. It’s my job to be still and
know that He is God. These past several weeks, I’ve been thinking a lot about who
God wants me to know He is. When I am
able to still my mind this is what He tells me:
I AM the One who comforts you when you have a bad dream in
the middle of the night.
I AM the One who gives you courage when you are afraid.
I AM the One who gives you strength when you are weary; and I
AM the One who encourages you to persevere when you want to give up.
I AM the One who is always in control of the details (I know
you think you are, Robin, but Surprise! It’s really Me).
I AM the One who knows the plans I have for you; and they
are pretty awesome.
I AM the One who sends sunshine to kiss your face when you
need it the most.
I AM the One who knows that your heart is lonely; and I AM the One who surrounds you with friends and family at the perfect time when you
need to feel loved and not alone.
I AM the One who loves you so much that I have your name
engraved on the palm of my hand.
Who does God want you to know He is? I challenge you to write it down. Don’t think about it. Don’t try to second guess God. Don’t try to make it make sense. Don’t try to put it into a neat little box
that you want it to fit into. Don’t
think. Just write. Take pen and paper. Take a deep breath. Still your mind and write:
Be still and know that I AM . . . .
. _________________
The answer might surprise you. My answer surprised me:
Remember: “The Lord
will fight for you; you need only to be still.”
Exodus 14:14
Abba, Father, how we thank You for being the great I
AM. Thank You for reminding us that You
are everything we need. Please help me
to still my mind and just know that You are God. When I want to run things over and over in my
head and when I feel the need to figure everything out and make it fit into a
neat little package, help me to know that you are Everything. Thank You for
being who we need You to be at all times. ~robin
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