BE STILL
Well, my son (who lives with me) went and did it! He got a six-month-old golden retriever puppy! Those of you who have ever had a puppy realize there is a lot that goes with that energetic ball of fur. I had a headache yesterday and tried to lay down and take a nap before work. You notice I said I tried! He kept getting down and getting into something. So, I put his leash on him and got him up on the bed. Then I started to gently scratch his head, his face and his legs, just like I use to do to get my human babies and grandbabies to try to get them to be still. It worked! It calmed him down and he drifted asleep. I closed my eyes and semi-slept as I knew how much trouble he could get himself into if I went into a deep sleep. He really is a good puppy and did not take long for me to fall in love with him. (If any of you who know me well are thinking, what about your baby dachshund you are getting in the spring? Well, no worries, I am still getting one and looking forward to her. I am sure there will be a few blogs coming in the future about her shenanigans!)
Being still! That is hard for energetic children, puppies or kittens. But have you ever realized that it is hard for us as adult humans to be still also? We live in a technological time in history. So many things to help us save time, but then we pile on more things to do. In pioneer times, they had to wash and dry their dishes. We have dish washers. They had to wash their clothes and then hang them out on the clothesline. We have washers and dryers. They had to go out and catch the chicken, kill it, then pluck the feathers off. Then cook it on a wood stove that they had chopped that wood. We go to the store and buy chicken that has already been cut up, even the skins taken off. Then we put it in the oven that we only have to turn a nob to get it to come on. Or we have bought a frozen dinner and just have to follow the directions and put in the microwave. I just recently got home from visiting my daughter. I got on an airplane and flew thousands of miles to get to her. In pioneer days, when a daughter left in the covered wagon, the mother and daughter realized that they might never see each other again in this life. We are blessed that we can actually text back and forth, talk on the phone and skype, actually seeing each other. I am so thankful for these time saving inventions! It makes my life so much easier. But yet, even after all those time saving things, we end up in bed ready to go asleep and are so “keyed” up, because we are so tired and stressed after a busy, long day of physical and mental activities. We just lay there and stare at the ceiling. Then, we realize that we did not save any time to be still with our God!
Let’s look at a few illustrations in the Bible that help us to remember that God wants us to be still and just meditate, read the scriptures, pray and think about God. After all, He is who actually created men and women with amazing minds that they can figure out how to save us time with these inventions.
Psalm 139:17-18, “How precious are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; When I awake, I am still with You.” God is telling us to be still with Him first thing in the morning. If you do not have time to read scriptures or your daily devotional then, there are still things you can do to be still with your God during the day. When you get in the shower, talk to God from your heart and pray for others and your day ahead. While you are driving, pray to God about that person who “flew” in front of you and you almost ran into him. Pray about that person on the corner who is down on their luck and asking for money. When you take your walk, don’t walk reading all your text messages or Facebook. Put your phone in your pocket and look around you at the amazing creations God has given us. I try to pray for one member of my family or someone at church who is going through a difficult time, while taking my walk. It gives me peace and energy to face whatever the future holds! Be Still!
Psalm 46:10, “Be still and know I am God. I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted in the earth!” When we stop and think about God, we realize we can do anything through His power and might! Just stop, breathe and think about the blessings God has given you. Praise Him in the middle of the storms of life, because no matter what you are going through, God is always right by your side helping you take one foot in front of the other. We need to praise Him, knowing that heaven will be waiting for us after we die. God should be our everything, in any joy or sorrow of our lives here on earth. Be Still!
1 Kings 19:11-13, “Then He (God) said, ‘Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.’ And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire, and after the fire a STILL SMALL VOICE. So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave (where he had been hiding). Suddenly, a voice came to him, and said, ‘What are you doing here Elijah?” We have all felt and heard the power that the wind whistling through the trees has; the power to destroy trees, property and lives. My brother was in an earthquake in California. He saw all the power that earthquake had and the noise associated with it. I have never personally been in a devastating fire, but because of the recent fires in several states, we have all seen the devastation and noise that a fire creates. The loudness and power of the wind, earthquake, and fire did not signal to Elijah that he was in the presence of God; even though we know that God is in the midst of that power. But it was not until all got quiet, that Elijah truly heard God. In the middle of a hurricane, is what is called the eye of the storm. The hurricane is swirling causing devastation. In the middle of it, is peace-calm-beauty. God is not just a God of the spectacular, but also in the quiet-gentleness-stillness of our lives! He is always and has always been with us. If we let Him, He can help us find that calmness, that peace in the middle of our storms of this life. We just need to reach out & up to Him! Be Still!
We have all of these time saving inventions to help us along our path on this earth. I am thankful for them! But we need to encircle ourselves with God. We need to be able to turn to Him and hear the still small voice that He gives us in the quiet times. If we don’t have a quiet time, make one. My daughter, quiets her little ones after baths and before bedtime, by a little snack and watching a cartoon. They are to be quiet! This helps their energetic little bodies to calm down, to be still! We need to calm ourselves down by all the thoughts about what all I need to do today and tomorrow, and take a deep breath. Be still and think about our God! Then, we can get our priorities straight, catch our breath and focus on what is truly important. In those quiet times, I feel God’s presence. I do not believe that the Bible tells us that God talks to us directly-physically like He did in Bible times, but I feel the presence, His voice, through studying His word and when I stop and just let myself be engulfed in His love. Be still!
God’s way of calming us, to get us to be still, is not like I talked about at the beginning of this blog; by gently scratching, as I have done with my son’s new dog or my children & grandchildren. God’s way is for us to read & meditate on His word, the Bible. If you only have time for one verse each day, that is good. A great start! Think about that verse during your busyness of your day. Of course, you still have to work outside and inside the home. Sometimes I get so stressed at work or home. I have found at those times, if I take a deep breath to calm me and I turn my thoughts to a favorite verse or particular verse, I had read that morning or evening; that all of a sudden, my thoughts are still and I am thinking of my God and His promises! When the disciples and Jesus were in a boat in Mark 4, there came a great storm. Jesus, who had been asleep, in verse 39, tells the wind “…Peace, be still…” God is in control! We just have to learn how to Be still in His presence!
If you have a new puppy, take my advice and try gently scratching them to get them to settle down and be still. The same concept applies to us. Let the “gentle scratching” of reading, thinking, praying and meditating about God, cause us to stop, breath and remember that God IS in the spectacular, but He is also in the quietness of our lives! That is when we can truly focus on Him and His promises!
Be Still! Try it sometime. You will realize the joy and peace that it can bring through God!
Till next time! Keela