“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:10) 

     Being still sounds like you are not doing anything.  Being still sounds hard.  Painful even.  I like my things to do lists.  I like marking things off.  I like accomplishing goals.  I like getting to the end of the day and thinking about everything I have gotten done that day.  Being still is not my nature.

     However, according to God’s word, there is a time to be still and wait, to be still and worship, to be still and listen, to just be still and know who He is.  That’s why I need to make it my nature.

     Especially in our modern American culture, we like activity, we like being busy, and to go-go-go.  While stillness doesn’t mean lying around on the couch all day waiting for God to act (or fill the stillness) it doesn’t flow very well with the worldly attitude of running ourselves to death.

     In stillness, our minds are quiet.  We are not trying to figure it all out.  We are not striving to fix ourselves.  We are trying to work out God’s plan so that we can make it happen.

     At any point in life, there may be lots of things that we would like to see happen.  Right now, I would like my in-progress house to be completely finished.  I would like some things to change about my job.  I would like a wider social circle and some new challenges to take on.  However, I don’t have much control over the house and the job.  As for the rest, there isn’t anything on my horizon presenting itself as the right thing, so I am being still.  I am doing what’s before me, but I am not as busy as I am used to being.  I am staying home more.  I am waiting for God to work the right thing into my life at the right time.  I believe that he is in control.

     Sometimes, we may be forced into a season of stillness or waiting.  By this, I mean, we can’t figure it out, so we stop trying and therefore we are being still.  True stillness is a type of worship to God.  There is joy in stillness, and peace.  When we are still before the Lord, waiting patiently for him, there is the assurance, like champagne bubbling just under the surface, that he is doing something wonderful, and after this time of rest from work (stillness) we will see something glorious come to fruition.  It’s kind of exciting.  We do not have to work for it, but we know that after a time, we will see God act.  He does not need our help to work this new gift, challenge, activity, person, etc. into our lives.  He is completely capable of taking care of it and getting the circumstances and the timing exactly right.  God wants us to enjoy stillness.  After all, isn’t the second half of the verse pretty amazing?  Know that I am God. 

     With the stillness, we are finally quiet enough, peaceful enough, rested enough to get our eyes off of what we are trying to do, and focus our attention fully on God, and what he is doing in our lives.