I don’t believe that I am overstating the obvious by pointing out that everything seems much more hurried today than it used to be. This has been a constant source of news and irritation for several years, and, unfortunately, this piece is not going to solve that problem. However, I do want to send out a warning concerning allowing this sense of rush and complication to become a part of our spiritual life.
I grew up in a generation that worships multitasking, particularly when you can still work while you are away from work. We are placing far too much of our value on what we can get done, and it needs to stop. As a matter of fact, a lot of things need to stop, and that is what I would like to discuss here.
A Deeper Meaning of Psalm 46:10
There is a famous Psalm that, I believe, has been greatly misunderstood. Psalm 46:10, “He says, ‘Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” I must admit that sometimes when I read this verse, I hear a heavenly voice telling me to shut up and do what I’m told, but that is because I tend to see myself only through my own understanding rather than working to see myself the way that God sees me. The point I would like to make today is that we need to see this verse not as a threat but as an opportunity.
Read in context, Psalm 46 is about God allowing us access to Him and to His power. “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble” (14:1). God is providing this ‘stillness’ in order for us to be rescued (refuge), supported (strength), and aided (ever-present help). And what is required of us?…. Nothing. But a very active nothing. We are not to bring in our triumphs, our tribulations, our questions, our concerns, our calling down of hell-fire; we must actively put those things away and be still and be in the presence of God.
How Jesus Modeled Stillness
In Matthew 14, the following happened: John the Baptist was beheaded; when Jesus found out, he tried to find time to be by himself, but was followed by a crowd of 5000 curious people, who he then had to miraculously feed; he sees his disciples in a boat during a storm and walks out to save them, and when he lands at Gennesaret, the people there “brought all their sick to them.” It is no wonder that Jesus needed some time to be still with the Father, so “after he had dismissed them, he went up on the mountainside to pray.”
Now, we have no record of what Jesus was praying about, but I would like to think that it involved a few deep breaths and a lot of listening. Proverbs 2:1-11 gives us a pretty good process for spending this time with God.
My son, if you accept my works and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to Wisdom and applying your heart to understanding…then you will …find the knowledge of God.
We are being asked to prepare by reading and believing in Scripture, preparing our hearts for what is to come, and then to listen and, if necessary, ‘cry aloud for understanding’.
There is no telling what we might hear, and it is most likely that we will hear nothing, and that may be the best thing of all.
God Delights in Your Presence
In Zephaniah 3:17, we learn that “He will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love.” God delights in our presence. It is not what we have done, not who we know, not how many WWJD bumper stickers we have on our car. God delights in being with you because you are his child, and in that moment, He wants nothing more than to sit in your presence and ‘love on you.’
One of my spiritual mentors is Fred Rogers. He has taught me much about what it means to be a child of God. At many of his public speeches, he would end with what he referred to as “A Gift of a Silent Minute.” He would ask his audience to be absolutely still for one minute and think about “those who helped you become who you are today.” This is one of the many ways that God can use to let you know how loved you are. In addition to what He has done directly for you, He has placed numerous people in your path who have given you guidance, who you could trust in tough times, who made you laugh. These people are an ever-present gift from God.
I can’t make you do this, as opposed to my students, I can’t flunk you, but take a minute to be still, to be with God, to delight in His presence, to see, maybe for the first time in a long time, how much you are loved.
