How You Can Just Be Still

Just be still.  Easier said than done, right?  Maybe not!  Psalm 46 gives us a look at how we can “be still”….

Today, I’m tired, the kind of tired that comes not just from all of the things you have already done but from the list of things you still have to do.

The kind of tired that comes from one thing after another, like waves in the ocean when you’ve lost your footing.  If they would just stop for a moment to let you catch your breath, you could keep swimming.

And we all know we have to “just keep swimming,” right?

We’re expert jugglers who know that the moment we drop one ball, they’ll all come crashing down.

Because we’re keeping things going, keeping the chaos at bay and the dinner on the table.

Or so we think.

Recently, a big ball came crashing down in our lives, toppling our sense of security and control, reminding us of the fact that there are moments we can’t plan for and pain we can’t predict.

Everything ground to a halt in my heart, in my mind, but not in the world around me.  It moved right on, and I’ve been playing catch up ever since.

• My blog posting schedule has been hit and miss.
• I’ve run up to and past deadlines for almost everything I do.
• The dishes have been dirty; the laundry, too.
• Fast-food meals have been too frequent.
• Homework has been half-done.
• I feel like I haven’t really talked to my husband in weeks.
• And, I’ve done the very opposite of what’s been needed.

I’ve been Martha in a time that calls for Mary.

Today, that still small voice that prods so gently has been saying the same thing over and over again: “Be still.”

Two simple words with a powerful command.

Stop.  Just stop.

Look out the window at the white clouds rolling by and not at the dishes piled in the sink.  They’ll keep.  Most things will.

It’s not forever, this settling in to stillness.  It’s not to avoid the next thing but to prepare for it.

I read aloud the words of Psalm 46, allowing them to wash fresh over my heart, reminding me that the world may keep spinning, but it can never spin out of control.

It says:

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. 

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. 

God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. 

Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. 

The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Come and see what the Lord has done, the desolations he has brought on the earth.  He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth.  He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire. 

He says, ‘Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in all the earth.’

The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.”

If you can, stop and read those words aloud.  Feel the power of the one who inspired them; recognize his presence.

After all, that’s where the Psalm starts, doesn’t it?

We have an “ever-present” help; “therefore, we will not fear.”  No matter what happens – in our lives or in the world around us.

And, there’s a lot happening in the world around us right now.  Any news station you turn on will tell you one thing on a regular basis:  “Be afraid!”

They might not use those words, but the message is clear:  we have much to fear.

And, they’re right, you know.  After all, the state of our world is frightening if we forget who is ultimately in control of it.

That’s why the Psalm goes on to command that we come and see what the Lord has done.  Can anything withstand his power?  Is there anyone who can outwit him?  Where is the place he cannot go?

“He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth.”

And then he destroys the weapons the warriors would use.

At that point, he commands the earth and all of us who’re in it to “be still.”  Stop striving, stop straining, stop trying to control our tiny parts of the planet.

Let him.  Because our plans fail – his don’t.  He will be exalted in everything.

Even the things you face today.

Because “The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.”

Amen.

I would love to share with you a hand-lettered printable I did to help remind myself to “be still.”  If he cares for the sparrows, he’s caring for you, too!  Just fill in the form below to subscribe to MississippiMom.com, and you’ll receive a free printable of the artwork!

I hope you’ll join us this week for Encouraging Word Wednesday!  I look forward to reading (and sharing!) your posts!