2-25-21 Be Still

Be Still :: By John Lysaught Published on: February 21, 2021 by RRadmin7 Category:General Articles, John Lysaught Psalm 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.” We live in a busy and chaotic world. There is always something distracting us from the stillness we need to have with our Heavenly Father. From the moment the buzzing alarm wakes us up until we toss and turn, trying to find some slumber, there is nothing but worldly noise pounding in our heads. Work, bills, entertainment, the news, social media, etc., overwhelm us daily and keep us so enveloped in the world that the stillness in God becomes a fleeting thought. We are keyed into being busy all the time, to multitask our lives away to the point that there are not enough hours in the day to do what life demands of us. It gets to a point when we must question ourselves as to what the heck we are doing. Have we lost who we are as children of God? Are we so world-focused that we have put God in the backseat? I’m not pointing fingers at anyone, but this is a question we must ask ourselves: Where is my focus each day? If it is the world, then it will be difficult to find the peace of God and stillness through Him. If it is God, then you will find those moments of stillness with Him, where the world does not seem so important to lose sleep over. The world cannot offer the same peace and stillness that is found in God. In John 14:27, Jesus says, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” One cannot find this godly peace through the busyness of the day or in the distractions thrown our way. No, finding the peace of Christ is through purposeful stillness. This may seem foreign to some because their lives just do not seem to have enough time to sit and meditate on the Word or to bask in the love of God. Philippians 4:7, “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” In stillness we can grasp hold of the peace of God. We do not get this from anything or any man. It is not tangible; it is internal. We find this unfathomable peace through Christ in our hearts when we seek it. Stillness in God is a salve to our weary souls. It is like a drink of cool crisp water on a hot desert day. It quenches our thirsty souls and gives us rest. We have forgotten how to do this, though. In the noise of the day, there is no rest or moments to take a knee and sip on cool water. As children of God, He wants what is best for us, and part of that is to nourish our weary souls by actively seeking and finding the stillness in Him needed to rejuvenate ourselves for spiritual rest. God will not deny you of this when you ask but will give it in abundance. I believe we forget how to do this at times. We are so wound up in the things of the world that we no longer know how to just soak in God for even a moment. I’m not blaming anyone for neglect, for I fall prey to this as well, but we need to set aside time to be with God in thought and prayer. He wants our time. He wants to converse with us and wants to hear from us about everything, good and bad, our joys and sorrows, our failures and our successes. For me, when I feel overwhelmed with life and what is going on, I take the time to count the blessings. It is easy to count the misery, but to count the blessings takes a bit more effort to do. When we count the blessings, it sets our minds on the path of thankfulness and humbleness as we acknowledge the goodness God has bestowed on us. Our focus is taken off the ills of the day and is pivoted to God. I find my quiet time with God before going to sleep. Some find it while driving or other venues, but for me, lying in bed in the still of the dark, with no TV or music or talking with others, gives me the time to just soak in God and talk to Him without distraction. There are also moments throughout the day when we can take a deep breath and exhale and think of God. When we daydream of the coming weekend, we can turn that to thoughts of the goodness of God and can say a quick prayer or two. Doing this helps me keep God on my mind throughout the day. My point is to not let the world get in the way of your stillness with God as you grow in Him. Only through stillness in Him can we grow and increase our faith. We cannot grow in our sanctifying walk with Him if we are silent towards Him. God will not force a conversation with us but is actively waiting to hear from us, to meet us in the stillness and his presence. Yes, we live in a weary world. Yes, we are in the end times, and yes, we are facing an abundance of trials in our faith from the world and Satan. But, if we can find the time to come into the stillness of God and attain the peace He offers, we will find the spiritual rest for our worn-out souls. When we find that rest in God, the ills we face in the world can be faced with godly peace. We will be stronger in our faith and will be unmovable. Even in these end times, stillness and peace are attainable. When we take the time to seek God, He will listen and calm our hearts and minds. To do this, we just need to make time for Him. Johnflysaught@gmail.com