Tag: be still and know

Urgency

Luke 12:40 is something that has me thinking this morning:

I’m trying to tell you that these
are times for alertness, times requiring a sense of urgency and intensity,
because like the master in the first story or the thief in the second, the
Son of Man shows up by surprise.

 

Why because everything in life has become urgent. We HAVE to
move by this date and have things cleaned. We HAVE to care for people close to
us that are sick. We HAVE to fix broken items. We HAVE to bring order to our
new home before it becomes out of control. We HAVE to do things other than be “still”
with God.

One can understand that life has a way of overtaking our life
(how profound). We get interrupted for this or that. This morning I wanted to
relax and write a thought, then clean and fix a motorcycle while Katy and Ella
were in the ER. I got a request for something I cannot find so now panic and
searching for that one thing has sent my schedule in a mess.

What does this mean above? Are we really caring if Joe on
the corner that we may have helped knows that we helped him because we love
Jesus or because we are nice. Did he even know the Gospel or did we even ask.
Or were we in such a rush to get life done that we did not have time to sit and
talk? Guess what, no time to talk and no idea if they “got it”.

My point is I have to run and do life. I am rushing to make
something sound sensible yet stressing the whole time I type and correct.

I NEED TO TAKE A WALK IN THE WOODS AGAIN!!

Be “still”

In the chaos of a move across the country and settling into
a new home, you might have noticed I have been off line. Psalm 46:10 stuck a
chord with me:

“Be still, and know that I am God.
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth!”

 

As with most moves thing are chaotic and people are on edge
from the stress. Our move was across the country and required three loaded drives, two
last minute home deals, a rental and animals … and we are not done yet. So life
has consumed my “thoughts” on God to how am I going to fix this water main we
broke. I have been reading a book on Prayer and this was the subject of my
recent reading which made a huge impact on what is happening today.

What does it mean to be “still” with God? I know with everything
going on my prayers are a quick “help me” and on to the next crisis. Sitting
down and reading scripture is the last thing I really can focus on. Yet here I
am being told to “be still” or take a chill pill in God.

I can honestly say all our busy life do not allow this. We are
expected to respond in minutes with our “smart phones” in order to make sure
everything is swell. Everything that was to make our lives easier now becomes a
distraction for rest. It’s almost impossible to be “still” with God much less
on your own. I have seen it now with the urgency of getting a new phone since
our current provider does not work in our home to the point they release us
from a contract. For a week now we have been “radio silent” and the stress is
difficult.

I think of how things were when these words were written.
Clocks were basic position sensors for the sun and communication was face to
face. If you wanted to talk with someone you had to go to them, not just call.
So being “still” with God was easier. Sure you could turn off your cell and be “still”
but most cannot do that. Life’s little distractions have consumed us to the
point we have to check Facebook constantly and have “important” notifications “pushed”
to our cell phones.

I will tell you how this grand experiment works being in the
middle of nowhere, but I can say getting upset was solved by a quick walk in
the woods. I hope to learn how to “be still” and really get to know God, not
through intellectual pursuits as I have done before but rather just shutting
down and letting Him command my thoughts. Time will tell!