Finding God by Standing Still

Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! Ps46:10

     Have you ever felt the need to just take a break from your day?  Not a long one, just a few minutes to re-orient yourself.  And not one of the, “It’s been a hectic day and I need a break” kind of breaks.  I’m talking about something you need to do and you can feel it at the very core of your being.  I took one of these breaks today and had a brief encounter with God.

     I had been restless, sitting at my desk after finishing teaching a class and felt like I needed to disengage for a few minutes.  So with some worship music on my iPod, I grabbed my sunglasses and went outside behind the building where I knew I could be alone for a few minutes.  While there I just leaned against the building and opened my heart up to God.  I didn’t pray, I just let the music wash over me and waited.  In just that few minutes I felt cares and concerns melt away as I felt God’s presence.  Such a peaceful, welcome feeling, a private moment with my Lord and Savior. 

     Now I know why I was feeling restless.  God wanted me to stop what I was doing and spend a few minutes with Him.  The Spirit was calling my heart and I am so glad I responded.   Part of what makes this so amazing to me is that the Creator and Sustainer of the universe wanted to spend time with me.  Just because!  That’s more than amazing, that’s Awesome!

     The first part of Psalm 46:10 tells us, “Be still, and know I am God.”  A very simple command really.  Stop what you are doing.  Then take the time to acknowledge Him and who He is.  This is definitely something to do as part of your daily prayer/quiet time with God but it is more than just that.  Life is bombarding us with all manner of distractions, demands, and responsibilities but within all that we need to take the time to give credit where credit is due.  To God, the one who is actually in charge and actually in control.

     I have taken time to do this before, gone off somewhere to be alone, but not in such a spontaneous manner.  Having listened to the Spirit today makes me wonder how many times I have ignored His call and not responded.  I look forward to the next time He calls.

     But what about the second part of verse 10, the part you don’t hear as often, “I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”  God is telling us that eventually the entire world will acknowledge Him.  That makes this a promise of something we can look forward to.  When we look at verse 10 in its entirety we see that even as we are now acknowledging Him, we can rest assured that one day everyone will do the same.

     While we are waiting for that day to come, the next time you are feeling restless, take a break.  It may be God calling to your heart because he wants to share a special moment with you.  Open your heart to Him and enjoy what He shares with you.  You won’t regret it.