Be Still

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

Sometimes we really miss the point.  I know God must giggle just a bit at our misguided ways.  And if we think really about it, we’ll giggle, too.

This is what I mean.  We work so hard to create a certain quality of life, but are often too busy to enjoy it.  How many men work long hours in order to afford a better house?  Yet they are rarely home to enjoy it.  Their wives are able to cook fabulous dinners in the newly remodeled gourmet kitchen, but they come home so late that they wind up eating re-heated leftovers.

We work hard for hours – for me, it’s minutes – in the garden.  Pulling weeds, aerating the lawn, watering the flowers, mowing the grass, and trimming the hedges.  Oh!  Our garden looks so beautiful!  Actually, who knows how beautiful it is?  We don’t spend much time relaxing in that beautiful garden, smelling the lilacs and roses, lounging in a hammock in the cool shade of the oak.

Moms work for children and worry over them.  They clean up after, cook for, rescue, chauffeur, cheer for, fight with, and pray over their children.  And it seems as though there’s never enough time to cuddle them and comfort them.

It seems that the very life we strive to build for ourselves, we do not even enjoy.

It is the same in our spiritual lives.  We go to church, maybe three times a week, teach a Sunday school class, attend Bible studies, work in outreach ministries.  We are busy for Jesus.  So busy, in fact, that we forget our focus.  We are trying so hard to serve Him that we forget to sup with Him. 

Take Mary and Martha, for example.  Both women had the opportunity to fellowship with Jesus.  Imagine having dinner with the Creator of the universe!  Mary sat at Jesus’ feet and visited with him.  Martha was playing Martha Stewart in the kitchen, perhaps trying to prepare a meal worthy to be enjoyed by the King of kings – a laudable undertaking.  I’d probably do the same thing.  But all Jesus wanted was to talk to her, to listen to her, to commune with her.  You can almost see Him shake His head as He says, “Martha, Martha . . .”

All Jesus wants is to commune with us.  He would like us to stop singing, stop teaching, stop running for just a few minutes, and admire Him.  Spend some time just enjoying Him, reading His Word, listening to His voice.  And tell Him your needs, your hopes, your fears, and let Him be strong for you.  Just be still . . . know that He is God.

You may want to do this in a nice, quiet place.  Maybe that beautiful garden of yours.