Stillness

One of my favorite Bible verses is Psalm 46:10: "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." I love just sitting and thinking about this verse. Often when I am fearful or worried about something, this is the first verse that comes to my mind. 

How often do we actually do what this verse says though? The first two words are clear: be still. In my opinion, those words are easier said than done, especially in our high-paced, technology-filled culture. I know that I have very few moments when I am still. It seems that I am constantly busy with homework and studying, and if I'm not doing that, I'm usually with my friends, and if I'm not with my friends, then usually I am doing the most mind-numbing activities like watching TV shows or aimlessly surfing the Internet. In college, the closest I get to being still is right before I go to bed when I read my Bible. 

I do have to say that deer season does provide me with an excellent opportunity to be still. When you are out sitting in the woods, waiting for a deer, you are trying to be as quiet as possible. Deer are very flighty animals, and even the smallest sound can send them running. For me, this is the perfect opportunity to talk to God and just spend time alone with Him with no distractions. Yes, the woods aren't always quiet - there's birds chirping, squirrels running around and leaves rustling. But all in all, being alone in the forest is so peaceful. It's probably the only time I am ever really still. 

Stillness is rare and precious. We learn so many things when we stop and reflect. When we actually force ourselves to put aside all distractions and focus wholly on God, we learn so much about Him and His character. Like the verse says, we know that He is God. We understand it. We truly get it. It's such a powerful realization, too. He will be exalted in the nations. He will be exalted in the earth. It has nothing to do with us and everything to do with Him. 

Another one of my favorite passages dealing with stillness is 1 Kings 19:9-12. This is when the Lord God appears to the prophet Elijah in the cave. Basically at this moment, Elijah is scared. He is telling God how Israelites have broken their covenant with God and they are killing the prophets and breaking down God's altars. Elijah says, "I am the only one left, and they are now trying to kill me too." I can almost hear the desperation and fear in his voice. 

Then the Lord speaks. "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by." If I were Elijah, I wouldn't know what to expect. But Elijah obeys. First there is a great and powerful wind. This wind is so powerful that the mountains shake and the rocks shatter. But God is not in the wind. Next comes a great earthquake. We have all seen how powerful earthquakes can be. It must have been terrifying for Elijah to witness. But we are told that God is not in the earthquake either. After the earthquake, comes a fire. Just this past summer, the western half of the United States dealt with terrible wildfires. Fire is dangerous and intense. However, God is not in this fire. 

Then it comes. A soft whisper. The King James version calls it "a still small voice." You see, God is more powerful than the wind, the earthquake and the fire. However, He chose not to pass by Elijah in any of those. Instead, He spoke to Elijah softly, in a still small voice. In a gentle whisper. It was with this voice that the Lord Almighty reassured Elijah and calmed his fears. 

I think too often we beg God for help, we pour out our fears to Him and ask Him to calm us, but then we miss hearing His still small voice. We get too caught up in the world around us that we miss Him. Oh sure, He could come roaring in like the powerful wind and reassure us and tell us that everything is fine. But He doesn't always do that. Sometimes He waits in the background, waiting for us to go find Him. 

How many times have we tried to talk to someone who was distracted? Either they are listening to music or watching TV or reading a book. They give us maybe half of their attention or less. In fact, most of the time, they don't even catch what we are saying, and they often ask us to repeat ourselves. This is exactly how we treat God. We sing the worship songs, we listen to worship music, we listen to the pastor's sermon on Sunday... all of these are good things, and we can definitely grow closer to God through them, but I feel like there needs to be more. There needs to be that time when it's just you and God, alone in a silent environment, when you refuse to let your mind wander and you focus all of our attention on the Creator, your Father. 

After all, Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:6 to go to a quiet room when we pray. We don't need to be out in front of people. We don't even need to pray out loud. "But when you pray, go into our room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." Quietness, stillness. 

The beautiful thing about being alone with God is understand that He desperately wants to have a one-to-one correspondence with you. Just you and Him! The Creator of the universe wants to have alone time with only you. That's a crazy, wonderful thought! God, who knows everything about you and who passionately loves and adores you, wants you to meet with Him in a quiet place. 

In God's perfect stillness, we find God's perfect will. 

"The sound of 'gentle stillness' after all the thunder and wind have passed will be the ultimate Word from God." ~ Jim Elliot