When Life happens, there’s only one recourse for us as believers, being in God’s presence. What this looks like may vary, but it is the best place for us to be. What is also critical is for us to determine how we actively engage God’s presence. Let’s do that and consider Today’s Holy Nougat.
Psalms 46:10 NIV
[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.”
Be Still and Know
As I reread the text, it registered that there is an intentionality in the order of God’s command to the community of believers. The called is to first be still, and then to know Who God is. The order is important, as it suggests that amidst all that is happening to and around us, God says, ‘Now take a break. Breathe. Just be still.’
Self-Check
When last have we stopped to take a break from the hustle and bustle and busyness of life? Did it result in a shift in perspective?
Digging Deeper
Within the context of the psalm, there is so much activity going on. Pending danger that invites the psalmist to seek solace in God’s presence. The chaotic imagery of nature at odds with humans’ inability to make the necessary repairs. The impact of God’s power over nature. And then …
An interlude
It’s no longer God’s judgement and demonstration of power; rather an invitation to be still. To pause as if in the eye of an internal storm. Observe a Sabbath of sorts. Be still takes us to Elijah’s discovery of God as his Refuge at the entrance of a cave by Mt Horeb. When challenged by God to experience a special encounter at his worst moment in life, Elijah discovered YHWH in the stillness (see 1 Kings 19).
That’s the invitation and challenge God extends to us. Quit worrying and remember Who’s on our side. Quit our feeble attempts to fix things by ourselves. Quit, because we truly do not have the capacity to fix our situation. Quit – lay aside all the things that easily distract and beset us – and simply be.
It is only then that we, like Elijah, will be able to see God at work for us and in us. Whether it is God as Shepherd, as Warrior, as Healer, as Provider, as Nourisher, Mother (hen), or a Father, we see and hear God more clearly when we are still.
And, as we acknowledge the aspect of God’s nature needed for our situation, let’s allow God to be God as only God can. When we know God, in all God’s facets, we are able to let go and allow God to be in control. Especially having experienced God as refuge in times past. Like Mary, we leave the hustle and sit at Jesus’s feet, being still in God’s presence and allowing God’s peace to take over.
So whatever we face this week, this month, this year, let us take the time to be still.
Point to Ponder
Which aspect of God’s nature have we relied on, and how can reflecting on God’s nature take us to that place of stillness?
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May all we seek be found in Christ
