• Be Still

    By: Kristen McNulty




    “Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.” Psalm 46:10 NLT

    Be still. When's the last time you turned off the music, put away your phone and sat in stillness and silence before God? Busyness is like a tidal wave, not only can it consume every part of our lives, but it can also carry us away from the things that really matter. When we remove stillness and silence from our lives we become like people walking around with earplugs in, deaf to any warning, word of encouragement or directions that God is trying to give to us.

    So in a world that's just so busy, how do we carve our a space for being still and coming to know our God in a very real way? Here are just a few suggestions:

    1. Go for a drive. Leave the city, find some country roads and go for a long drive while leaving the music off. Ask God to speak to you and spend time focused on Him and what He might be trying to say to you.

    2. Reconnect with creation. There's something about being in God's creation that draws us closer to the creator. Head over to the nearest lake, conservation area, or park and sit in stillness in silence. Reflecting on what a great God we serve and giving Him your complete attention.

    3. If leaving home is not an option another idea is to turn off the phone, go into your room, sit on a chair or on the floor, even turn the lights out if you have to and stay there silent before God. Reflect on His amazing characteristics and thank Him for all He's done in your life. Don't try to get through a prayer list, just be with your creator and savior and give Him the time to speak into your life.

    When we do these things. When we carve stillness and silence into our lives, we are ensuring God can get our attention without needing some sort of disaster to bring us on our knees before Him. Just like a friendship between two people would be extremely superficial if the only thing they did was watch movies together without ever communicating, our relationships with God will never go the distance or get to that deep level if we don't spend time with Him free from distraction. As we see in this verse, being still is connected with knowing God. There's no way to know Him and trust Him fully without stillness and silence.

    Closing with Jeremiah 29:13, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” (NIV)

    Reprint rights available on request. Email the author at kristenmcnulty@hotmail.com.

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