Be Still and Know

Psalm 46:10

 Be still, and know that I am God:

 I will be exalted among the heathen,

 I will be exalted in the earth.

Be still. What picture comes to mind when you read those two words? Be still.

Being still is something I have great difficulty in doing. I don’t have any trouble being busy, crowding my days with activities, running back and forth from task to task. But being still? Not so easy.

It’s so difficult to be still in such a restless world. It’s such a challenge to stop and be still in a world that calls us to busyness, that pulls us along in its current of always needing to ‘do’ something or ‘be’ someone.

But what does God call us to do in this verse in Psalms? To be still. And this being still has to do with surrender, letting go, forsaking and striving no more.

”The word used here - from  raphah - means properly to cast down; to let fall; to let hang down; then, to be relaxed, slackened, especially the hands: It is also employed in the sense of not making an effort; not putting forth exertion; and then would express the idea of leaving matters with God, or of being without anxiety about the issue.” Barnes.

So being still carries the idea of being quiet and easy, not fretful and impatient or restless, but resigned to the will of God. It doesn’t mean to be inactive and unconcerned, but quiet. A quietening of the heart.

To be still is a choice. And often it’s a hard choice. We are all carried along by the tides of busyness and we all have important things to do, but there is a time to just sit, and be still. And more importantly, to be still and know that God is God. To take time to tune out of the world and into God. To listen for that still small voice.

It’s so hard to hear God speak when we are letting the world scream in our ears. God speaks in the stillness. The devil screams in our busyness.

We find this phrase ‘be still’ in another place in the Bible that is worth mentioning.

Mark 4:39

 And he arose, and rebuked the wind,

 and said unto the sea, Peace, be still.

 And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

The difference here though is that in the Greek, these words, be still, mean to be silent or be dumb. So, in essence, hush or shut up. The Lord told the waves and wind to shut up! And I think sometimes, we need to just hush and be silent and listen.

We fill our lives with so much ‘doing’ and not a lot of ‘listening’. We dart from one task to the next, always on the move, never resting, never stopping to catch our breath. But God requires us to come into His presence and just be still. To quieten our minds and our bodies and listen to what He has for us.

I think of Mary and Martha and the ‘encumbrance’ of Martha in contrast to the ‘quietness’ of Mary as she sat at Jesus feet. Mary chose that one thing that was needful. And that was to sit and be still and listen to the Lord.

Luke 10:42

 But one thing is needful:

 and Mary hath chosen that good part,

which shall not be taken away from her.

Sometimes we are intimidated by silence. It forces us to address issues we might be running from. It makes us stop and think. It causes us to focus on other things. But silence can be a great healer. It can be a time of communion with the Lord and gleaning guidance and wisdom from Him, without the distraction of a noise-filled world.

It has been said that we have upwards of 50 000 thoughts a day! And a lot of those thoughts are not healthy. They are anxious or fearful thoughts. We have to tell our minds to be still. To hush. To shut up! But quieting the mind takes practice. We have to renew our minds and be transformed.

Romans 12:2

 And be not conformed to this world:

 but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind,

 that ye may prove what is that good,

and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Every day is a struggle. A battle of sorts. To keep our minds focused on God while we go about our crazy and hectic day. A constant renewing of our minds. A conscious effort of quieting our hearts and letting God speak to us. Of listening in the stillness.

This being still has really been brought home to me lately as I am busier now than I have ever been before. I wear many hats in my God-given role and at times it all becomes overwhelming. But when I force myself to stop and take the time to be still and surrender my will to God’s perfect will and sit down in body and spirit and really focus in on what He has for me, I find that the ‘noise’ quiets for a time and I am able to learn more about God’s purposes for my life and I find precious promises in His word that help me as I go about my day.

Also, don’t forget that the end of that verse in Psalms says ‘and know’. Not just be still. But also know. We are to be still and know that He is God.

“And "know"; own and acknowledge that he is God, a sovereign Being that does whatsoever he pleases; that he is unchangeable in his nature, purposes, promises, and covenant; that he is omnipotent, able to help them and deliver them at the last extremity; that he is omniscient, knows their persons, cases, and troubles, and how and where to hide them till the storm is over; that he is the all wise God, and does all things after the counsel of his own will, and makes all things work together for good to them; and that he is faithful to his word and promise, and will not suffer them to be overpressed and bore down with troubles.” Gill

So, we are not just to be still, but we are to know who God is. Where it is our help comes from. Where our refuge is.

Psalm 46:1

 God is our refuge and strength,

 a very present help in trouble.

Sometimes I think that our being still is more like a little child that is sitting down on the outside, but standing up on the inside. They’ve been told to sit, but there is rebellion in their heart as they only outwardly obey.

We sit still, we ‘look’ like we are quietly spending time in prayer and study, but on the inside, we are anything but still. Our mind is distracted, we are not focused on the words in front of us or the prayer on our lips. Being still is not just an outward appearance. It is a matter of the heart. It is an attitude of stillness. If we are not going to quiet our hearts and minds, we might as well keep running. God sees us through and through and He knows whether we are truly being still.

A few years back, I came up with my own acronym for the word “turmoil” to be a reminder to me of what it looked like and to wake me up to the importance of calm instead of turmoil.

T rusting in my own abilities

U nderestimating God's Almighty Power

R efusing to surrender to God's control

M urmuring instead of praising

O verdramatizing the circumstances

I nterrupting God's plans with my own

L osing the plot instead of controlling my emotions

What we need is calm and peace. Contrast this acronym for calm with mine.

C onsider the bigger picture

A cknowledge God is in control

L ook for the lesson

M ake it a point to praise

Yes, we all want calm instead of turmoil. Peace instead of storms. But we must take the time to be still and listen. Only then can God truly give us the peace we need.

There are many verses in the Bible on waiting on the Lord and that is to be my next topic of conversation. God has been working on me very patiently of late on this subject of waiting and I haven’t learnt all the lessons yet, but with the Lord’s help, I want to share with you some promises that He has given me in relation to waiting and being still and knowing that He is God.

And so, until next time, God bless and take time to be still.

Psalm 27:14

 Wait on the LORD: be of good courage,

 and he shall strengthen thine heart:

wait, I say, on the LORD.

The Lord Has Done

 Great Things For Us

Psalm 126:1-6

When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion,

 we were like them that dream.

Then was our mouth filled with laughter,

 and our tongue with singing:

 then said they among the heathen,

 The LORD hath done great things for them.

The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad.

Turn again our captivity, O LORD, as the streams in the south.

They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.

He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed,

shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, 

bringing his sheaves with him.

Yes, the Lord has done great things for us.

I love the reminders in scripture that encourage us to give thanks to the Lord and to remember all that He has done for us. Unfortunately, we need to be reminded. It’s sad that we don’t naturally give thanks and praise to God. It’s something we have to learn. Like learning to be content, we have to learn to praise.

I remember last year, during a very dark time for me, as I was sewing for the wedding, I was crying, and as my tears splashed down onto the fabric, I thought of the verse “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy”. I laughed a little as I changed the spelling of the word sow, to sew. I thought maybe that as I sewed in tears, I would reap in joy. I know, it’s not the right meaning, but for some reason, it gave me hope.

There are times in our lives that we feel alone and lost and helpless. But those times should draw us closer to the Lord and we should remember all the things He has done for us, and we should be glad. Our mouths should be filled with laughter, our tongues with singing and we should rejoice!

If we take time daily to spend some time praising the Lord and giving thanks to Him, it will change our view and our attitude. If we just spend some time remembering all the good and all the blessings the Lord showers upon us, it will encourage our hearts and we will gain the strength to carry on.

Psalm 77:11-12 I will remember the works of the LORD:

 surely I will remember thy wonders of old.

I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings.

I have these verses written up so I can read them every day as I study. They encourage me to meditate on all God’s goodness. And notice that it also says to talk of his doings? So, we need to share the blessings of the Lord with others. People around us, saved or unsaved, need to know of God’s goodness to His children.

So, my encouragement to you today, is to remember God’s blessings.  Take time to thank the Lord for all He has done for you. And don’t forget to brag on God to others. Tell others of God’s goodness. Be an encouragement to someone else, by sharing God’s love with them.

                                                           

A Broken Cucumber, A Squashed Orange

And some Torn Cauliflower Leaves

What a strange title for a blog post, right? I know. But just keep reading.

Late last night, I went to pick up Dave from the milk shed after his trip to Darwin. On Thursdays, Dave brings down milk and fruit and veg from Darwin to deliver in Katherine on Friday. Often, he also brings down other freight for friends or businesses here in Katherine that are not chilled freight.

This time, he had a very large oversized pallet of timber flooring onboard for a friend. I know it was large and heavy, because at 9 o’clock at night, I helped him hand unload it onto the ute. Well, I’m getting to the point, bear with me.

When he opened the door to the fridge, he realised that the pallet had broken and scattered the flooring all over the top of the vege boxes that were neatly stacked on pallets. Audible groans appreciated here. (And a quick prayer sent up from me)

Well, once we offloaded all the flooring and assessed the damage, we were amazed to find that there was only 1 broken and snapped cucumber, 1 squashed orange and a few leaves torn off the cauliflowers!

Now if that’s not something to praise the Lord about! I took some time last night and this morning to praise the Lord for his goodness. I thanked the Lord that the damage was minimal and that he looks after his children in mysterious and unexpected ways.

Just a few little veges, but a whole lot of praising to do! It could have been so much worse! The Lord blesses in so many ways that we often don’t even realise when we’ve been overwhelmingly blessed.

It’s those little blessings that God sends into our lives that deserve our attention. The huge answers to prayer are obvious and we see God’s hand, but those little seemingly insignificant answers to prayer are worthy of our praise and thankfulness just as much as the big ones.

I can just see, in my mind’s eye, when that pallet broke, an angel, with his hand under it, lowering it gently down onto the boxes of veges, yes, letting the boards scatter, but lowering it with just enough force to only do a little damage. Enough to spare us having to reimburse the businesses, but just enough to remind us of God’s goodness. What an amazing God!

Yes, it’s a strange thing to write about, but I feel that when God impresses something upon your heart and gives you little glimpses of his grace, you need to share it.

So, look for those hidden blessings today. And take time to thank God and give him all the glory. It’s not coincidence. It’s not luck. It’s God!

Contentment 

1 Timothy 6:6

But godliness with contentment is great gain.

Do you ever struggle with discontentment? A dissatisfaction with your circumstances? A restless longing for more? Always dreaming of that perfect house. That perfect job for your husband. That perfect look.

The world tells us to chase our dreams. To follow our hearts. That we can be whatever we choose to be. That we can achieve whatever we set our minds to. Now that may sound okay, but it is worldly wisdom. It is not God’s wisdom.

Now I’m not saying that you shouldn’t have dreams and hopes and desires, but when these desires become the focus of our attention to the point of developing a spirit of discontentment, then it is sin. It’s good to have dreams. Even the Bible tells us that.

Proverbs 29:18

 Where there is no vision, the people perish:

but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.

We need to have vision. Something to strive for. But the end of that verse tells us that if we keep the law, we will be happy. Keeping God’s precepts, obeying His word. So, yes, it’s good to dream and dream big. But don’t let it become so big that you become discontent when it is out of your reach. God may be working an even greater good in your life that you know nothing about.

I remember many times in our marriage, that Dave and I had a dream to buy a bigger, better place, some land, a property, something greater. And when we couldn’t achieve it, we became discontent. We began to complain. We looked around at others and the seed of discontentment began to grow. But when we stopped and took a good hard look at what God had already given us, we were ashamed at our greed and our ungratefulness. We realised how selfish we had become and we had to stop and reassess where we were at spiritually, and get our hearts right with God.

In 1 Timothy, Paul exhorts Timothy, and us, to be content. Contentment has to do with satisfaction, fulfilment, gladness, cheerfulness, restfulness, peace. Paul is warning that rather than striving to accumulate wealth, we as followers of the Lord, should focus our attention on pursuing holiness in conduct, attitude and thought. We should choose to be content in whatever circumstances the Lord puts us in.

Philippians 4:11

 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned,

in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

Contentment is not found in ‘things’. True contentment lies in having faith in God, that whatever he chooses to do in our lives, whatever he chooses to give us, or not give us, is according to his perfect will and we should put our trust in him and be content that he is working for our good.

Unfortunately, we, as wives and mothers, often struggle in this area of contentment. Life seems to be so unfair at times, as we look around at what others have. We see other women with perfect figures, picturesque ‘display’ like homes, pintrest worthy décor and the like, and we begin to be disappointed with our lot in life.

When the seed of discontentment is sown in our hearts, it begins to grow and pretty soon our whole outlook is one of frustration and ungratefulness.

So, how do we stop it before it begins? By taking time to praise the Lord for all he has done for us. By worshipping him. By praising him. By looking at what he has given us, not by being miserable over the things we don’t have. Focusing on the blessings we do have. The little things and the big things.

1 Timothy 6:7-8

 For we brought nothing into this world,

 and it is certain we can carry nothing out.

 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.

As these verses tell us, we came into this world with nothing and we’ll go out with nothing. Interestingly enough, it also tells us that we should be content with food and raiment. Period. That’s it. Wow. Food and clothes. Well, we all have that don’t we? But is it enough? I know I’d like a whole lot more than just food and clothes.

I read a good quote on this subject.

“If you cannot find happiness, joy, peace, and contentment in the Lord with what He has already done for you in your present- then you will probably not be able to find it with whatever He will want to do for you in your future, since you will always be looking for that next, new, big thing that you think will make you happy, content, and fulfilled.”

It’s true. If we don’t work on being content today, we’re not going to be content in the future. I love how Paul says in Philippians, “I have learned”. In other words, it didn’t come naturally, he had to work at it. It’s something he had to learn. And it’s something we have to learn too. So there’s hope. We can learn to be content. We can work on it. We can practice contentment.

As you go about your day, think of things that you can be thankful for. Jot down the blessings as they come. Take time to think over your day and write down the things you’re grateful for. No matter what kind of a day you’ve had, how crazy it’s been, how frustrated you’ve felt, there is always something to be thankful for. Even if you just cry out to God in praise that the day is over and you made it through!

We are so blessed. And as Christian women, we are blessed even more. We have a hope. We have a help. We have an eternal home, free of worries and cares. We can have peace that passes understanding.

Every day, God brings little things, little blessings into our lives that we take for granted. Stop. Take notice of these things. And praise him. Aim for a contented spirit. Keep a record of God’s blessings so that when you begin to feel that discontentment welling up inside of you, you can go back over your list of blessings and praise God once again.

Psalm 95:1-7

O come, let us sing unto the LORD:

 let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.

 Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving,

 and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.

 For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods.

 In his hand are the deep places of the earth:

the strength of the hills is his also.

 The sea is his, and he made it:

 and his hands formed the dry land.

 O come, let us worship and bow down:

 let us kneel before the LORD our maker.

 For he is our God;

 and we are the people of his pasture,

 and the sheep of his hand.