Be Still!

Be still and know that I am God. I am exalted in all the nations; I am exalted in all the earth. Psalm 46:10

Early one morning last week while daylight was just breaking, I went out on our deck to hang the hummingbird feeders. Everything was so still, and I was looking out over the back yard when a deer raised her head and looked back at me. She was sleeping in the grouping of hydrangas, and my presence woke her. I quietly said, “Good morning, beautiful!” She slowly got up, watching me all the time, and quietly walked out of the yard.

I began to marvel at all the things we miss if we don’t take the time to be still, watch, and listen. “A still pond reflects the sun perfectly. God is the sun. We are the lake. When your soul is still and clear, you reflect the truth, beauty, and goodness of God to everyone you encounter. As the day goes on, the wind will pick up, the lake will be full of ripples, and you will barely be able to see the sun’s reflection in the water.” copied This is a perfect illustration of the society in which we live.

In our culture, people don’t like to be still, be quiet, or be silent. It drives us crazy to be without noise of some kind because we’ve been accustomed to it. We have this philosophy that if we are not doing something, saying something, or planning something, we are not being productive and that is a waste of time.

It is true that God can speak to us anytime, anywhere, through anybody, by dropping a thought in our mind, but busyness can crowd out the thought. In stillness we can hear God more clearly.

There is an example of this in the “Be Still” necklace which one of our small group ladies introduced while we were discussing how hard it is to be still in this life. The necklace is made of two pieces which move independently of each other. Any time you are moving or busy, the pieces seem random, but if you take a moment and are still, the pieces come to the center and form a perfect cross. A simple reminder to slow down and re center your life.

There are a few reasons that being still and quiet is good for us. First, these days we don’t take enough time off to regain our strength, renew our spirt, and find ourselves in the busyness of life. If we take the time to be still, we can rejuvenate out soul.

Next, being still and quiet is good for our relationships with others. We often think that people around us need chatter, but sometimes the best thing we can do for others is just be there. There are those times when it’s best to be silent while we give them someone to lean on.

Finally, being still and quiet is good for our relationship with God. We rarely find God in the hectic moments of our life, but often we find him in the quiet moments. Mother Teresa said, “God rarely is found in the midst of noise and restlessness; instead, He is the friend of silence.”

We are easily distracted and upset by this busy world of today. God would have us just be still and quiet in His presence. Gail MacDonald writes, “The ancient desert fathers used to commit themselves to a disciplinary creed: silence, solitude, and inner peace. Only after adequate listening did they consider themselves ready to speak. Today there’s a strange logic that spiritual resource and renewal are found in constantly seeking new voices, attending more meetings to exchange half thought out opinions. We fall into the trap of believing that God is most pleased when we have maximized our information, our schedules, and our relationships. Disengagement means silence before God, a time of heavenly discussion during which we listen more than we speak.”

There is a story told of a father who was always short with his family and children. His daughter wanted to tell him a story, and she said, “I will hurry and tell it.” The father replied, “You don’t have to hurry. You can tell it slow.” The daughter replied, “If I tell it slow, will you listen slow?”

Being still and quiet is difficult, in fact, almost impossible for many of us. Once we take time to be still, we will discover that our minds and souls have been starving for stillness for a long time. Once we give our souls a taste of stillness, we won’t be satisfied unless it’s a major part of our day!

Only to sit and think of God, oh what a joy it is! Frederick W. Faber