Where Did You Find God Today?

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

At a church women’s conference, a new friend shared with me a more meaningful way to read this way-too familiar verse. Sometimes we hear a Scriptural verse so often, it loses its impact.  Take John 3:16.

This was true for me for Psalm 46:10. I have it on my bulletin board near my computer and see it every day, yet way too often I do not be still. In fact, I am anything but that. I know He is God, but do I let that absorb deep into my soul? Breaking down the verse as she showed me renewed its meaning.

Be still and know that I AM . . . Even though I know He is God, do I let Him be God over my life, or do I, more often than not, put Him on the back burner until I need His presence? He is my Father and Provider, My Lord and Savior, Omnipotent Creator, King of all kings. When Moses asked Him what His name was, God replied I AM. Jesus told the Pharisees that before there was Abraham I AM. He is here and now, not just in the Bible stories of the past. He is forever present, be it two thousand years ago or two thousand years from now. There is nothing that is more powerful than He, and He is in control.

Be still and know . . . know not just with my brain, but with every fiber of my being. To know is to be certain, without a shadow of a doubt, or an ounce of hesitancy. We say, “I know for a fact . . .” when we are adamant about something.  Do I know God?  How can I know Him better? The answer is simple – by spending time with Him. That requires that sometimes I don’t do all the talking in my prayer life, but I stop and listen.  And to listen, I must . . .

Be still. . . How very easy, and yet very hard.  To be still is also for me to be silent. Silence is hard to achieve in today’s world. We are surrounded by noise. But often it is only in silence that we can hear the powerful voice inside of us that we know is not from us. Being still requires effort, a conscious act of not being distracted. But, when you get right down to the heart of the matter, this is where you can find God and understand He has always been right there.

Be – that is all God requires of us. We just need to be what we were created to be. Jesus’ death on the cross restored the relationship of man to God before the Fall of Adam and Eve. It returns us, through Christ’s blood, to our natural state of grace once we accept Him as Savior  . But, our human nature mucks that up, doesn’t it? So, we need to remember to just be. Our merciful God accepts us as we are, with all our short comings and all our faults, and through the eyes of His Son, sees us as pure, blameless and made worthy when we come into His presence and ask for forgiveness. We don’t need to be perfect- Christ makes us that way.  We only need to be willing to “be”.

If a Bible verse starts to lose its impact, dissect it down. Read each word and find new meaning, with God’s help. Scripture is alive and breathing with His Spirit. We are not to just read it, but to digest it, make it a part of us, and live it.

Heavenly Lord, breathe in us the desire to know You more and more. Instill in our hurried state the yearning to be still, and to be content to just be, knowing that in You we are made complete. Amen.