Be Still

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;”

(Psalm 46:10a)

Meditation

I admit, I fail at ‘being still’ all the time. I have a type A personality and like to make sure I get things done just right, and when I want them to get done. I get out of bed and start thinking about my check list for the day and what I’ve got to do to get it completed. On other days I’m off to the golf course or any other number of “important” activities. The hardest thing for me to do is just take some quiet time and acknowledge who God is. To change up a colloquial saying slightly, “He is the boss of me.” I forget I’m not the boss because I am usually too busy with everyday life. At times I struggle with trying to maintain control Sometimes, the Holy Spirit has to slap me on the back of the head to get me to realize he wants my attention. Of course, he doesn’t really, but if he did, it would save a lot of time.

I often have to remind myself to take the time to just sit and be quiet with God, especially if there’s something pressing on my heart. As I write this, a good friend is being buried in a distant state. His death was unexpected, so I didn’t have a chance to say goodbye. It reminds me of my own father’s death that happened when I wasn’t there. These losses, and so many more, take the presence of God and time to heal from. If I tried to understand life’s tragedies on my own, I would come to the wrong conclusion every time. The pain of loss still hurts terribly, even with the Spirit of Christ in my heart, but I can take comfort in the promise of God in the end. I can’t imagine suffering through a loss like the death of someone close without God giving me strength.

If I start my day with the Lord, my day goes better. It doesn’t mean I never have doubts or problems, but they seem less stressful when I leave God in charge. I have no power of my own beyond the power to submit to the ultimate power of the universe. He has the power to demand my soul at any moment, and as so as I realized that, my rebellion came to end right away. It’s time for me to be thankful for all the blessings God has given me. It’s the time when I can let God have all my problems and know he’ll guide me through. When I spend the first part of my day with him, the rest of my day turns out so much better. It’s not just the peace of mind God blesses me with in abundance, it’s the strength to persevere, it’s the love that fills my heart, it’s the desire to share Jesus with everyone I meet.

Daily Prayer

Heavenly Father, we are your adopted sons and daughters because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. As we learn to walk in your ways, we humbly bow in reverent gratitude. We were once pitiful, blind, and wicked sinners, doomed to pass from this life only to spend eternity in hell. However, you laid all our sins on your Christ as he hung on the cross. Because of his humiliation and suffering, we have been healed of our sins that we may live in his righteousness. Now that we are in your fold, help us to covet some daily quiet time that we set aside to be with you. It’s our nature to want to be in control. From the time we were toddlers, we have been learning and practicing how to run our own lives. When we were adolescents, we rebelled against our parents. When we became adults, we continued in our rebellion, only we were rebelling against you. When we finally submit to your will for our lives, dear Lord, help us to hand over to you every desire to be in control. Father give us a heart for serving our fellow man. Not for some recognition or pat on the back, but to show them your love through our actions. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen!