Read: Psalm 46 (with focus on verse 10)
One recent Sunday evening, I pulled into our driveway after attending a study and turned my vehicle off. The dashboard lights darkened, the engine and radio noise ceased….and I sat...alone… in the roar of deafening silence. Usually, I would have been discussing “once we get inside” plans with kids, or having to referee a spirited discussion. But in that moment, life was breathtakingly still.
I can recall these moments of stillness because they are rare. “Still” is defined: 1. devoid from motion, 2. calm, tranquil, and 3. free from noise or turbulence. Boy. In a busy family of five, let’s just say that we would not frequently use descriptors like “tranquil” and “free from noise or turbulence” for the atmosphere of our home. It’s happy noise – frequently laughter-filled; and, we have the usual family bustle of commitments and activities. What we honestly do not have a lot of, is stillness. Even once the kids are in bed, our evenings can end up largely filled with television, and social media. There is always something new to see, or something to share. The world would have you believe that you need that constant social hum; but, God says otherwise.
Psalm 46 explains that God Himself says to “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Be still. God put those words in this passage with purpose, and I know that I need to seek this out in my life. The psalmist describes this even in the midst of the Earth giving way, and mountains fallinginto the heart of the sea. Surely I can muster a few moments of stillness among my own activities, and my own toppling mountains of laundry scattered on my living room floor!
Prayer: Father God, we love You, and see You throughout each moment of our lives, from the loud and joyful, to those of anger and heartbreak. I pray though, that You would increase in us the desire to seek stillness, our desire to wait on You, and our desire to know You more. I pray that you would use these quiet moments to drown out the world, and draw us closer to You. Amen!
