To Be Still and Know
What does it mean to be still and know? In fact how does one be still? This life is crazy hectic and loud, very loud. We have so much on our plates from the moment we wake up til the moment our heads hit the pillow at night and there just never seems to be enough time to fit it all in. So how on earth are we supposed to actually set aside time to be still before the Lord? Lets be honest, being still doesn't come easily or naturally. We have it ingrained in us to be active and doing doing doing at all times. Especially women. For some reason we have the tendency to feel guilty for actually taking time to relax and do nothing. We see an empty space in our calendar and instead of protecting that time we tend to fill it up. I'm not going to elaborate on that particular detail as a wonderful Christian author already wrote a book about how to manage your time and be deliberate about not filling up all the empty spaces. ("The Best Yes" by Lysa Terkuerst)
To be still is actually a command in Gods Word. It's there more than once. I already wrote out one such verse in the "Welcome" post, Psalm 46:10 "Be still and know that I am God..." This is a command to be still and know. This is the verse from which the inspiration for this blog came. There is so very much we can learn from spending time in God's Word, by taking time to literally tune out everything else, getting rid of all the distractions and simply read and meditate on what the Word of God has to say. What are the things that distract you? Kids? Husband? Phone calls, text messages, facebook, twitter, instagram, tv, online shopping? Your to do list? Errands? Learning how to be still means you set aside a time every day to do absolutely nothing except read the Word of God and meditate on what it says. Let it sink in deep and challenge you, inspire you, encourage you and strengthen you. You cannot do this by reading a quick daily devotional while packing kids lunches. And while Bible apps are an awesome tool to use, during this time of being still you really should pull out the actual old fashioned turn the page Bible and put away the phone because as I have learned first hand the ding or buzz of a new message or a sudden incoming phone call totally takes the attention from what is being read. To be still means you find a time when the kids wont distract you and that will probably be when they are sleeping so early morning or late night works best usually and find a quiet place where you can get alone with just you and the Lord and His Word. Pick a book and jump in. I do recommend reading the New Testament first. Then after that try reading the whole Bible at a pace that is comfortable for you. After you have read God's Word then incorporate a study book into your Scripture reading. I do encourage you though to make sure you spend more time reading the Bible than a Christian study book. While they are awesome supplements to the Word of God, a lot of times they become something that replaces actually reading the Word of God. It may feel odd at first and you may feel your mind wandering. You may even be bored at first or intimidated not really knowing what to read or do. Don't give up. It takes 21 days to form a new habit! Soon you will find yourself in a new routine that your soul craves. You will look forward to and find you very much need those times of getting alone and being still with the Lord. Some even find Bible journaling a great way to be still and mediate on God's Word. (This is the practice of doodling or drawing with purpose in ones Bible. For some great examples of what this looks like, check out Bible journaling on instagram) Give it 21 days and you will be so glad you started this new journey of being still before the Lord. You will learn. You will grow. You will understand more about life and God and yourself than ever before. You will find peace that passes all understanding. You will find strength for the hard times and grace to forgive people who have hurt you. You will find hope that endures and doesn't disappoint and you will find your purpose in the Lord. Now all this won't happen in just 21 days, but by developing this new habit in your life you will discover these things on your journey with the Lord. You will be tempted to let your time of being still with the Lord be the first thing you neglect when your schedule is overly busy. It's a very subtle thing Satan uses to bring us down. He knows how important the Bible is in a Christians life and he wants to distract us from having that vital source of encouragement and strength and truth. When we aren't spending that quiet alone time with the Lord each day we are so much more susceptible to falling prey to the lies Satan throws at us daily. We begin believing those lies, such as we are failing our kids, we are horrible friends, we are lousy wives and certainly God can't use us because of this that and the other. When we are taking that time every day to be still before the Lord and meditate on His Word we are prepared for these times of hardship and trials. A soldier doesn't go to war without his weapons and as Christians we cannot go about our days facing spiritual battles without our spiritual weapons that come from reading the Bible and spending time being still. Are you ready sisters in Christ? Are you ready to grow in your relationship with the Lord? Are you ready to start winning these spiritual battles? Are you ready to be still and know?
Psalm 37:7 "Be still in the presence of the Lord and wait patiently for him to act. Don't worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes."
To be still is actually a command in Gods Word. It's there more than once. I already wrote out one such verse in the "Welcome" post, Psalm 46:10 "Be still and know that I am God..." This is a command to be still and know. This is the verse from which the inspiration for this blog came. There is so very much we can learn from spending time in God's Word, by taking time to literally tune out everything else, getting rid of all the distractions and simply read and meditate on what the Word of God has to say. What are the things that distract you? Kids? Husband? Phone calls, text messages, facebook, twitter, instagram, tv, online shopping? Your to do list? Errands? Learning how to be still means you set aside a time every day to do absolutely nothing except read the Word of God and meditate on what it says. Let it sink in deep and challenge you, inspire you, encourage you and strengthen you. You cannot do this by reading a quick daily devotional while packing kids lunches. And while Bible apps are an awesome tool to use, during this time of being still you really should pull out the actual old fashioned turn the page Bible and put away the phone because as I have learned first hand the ding or buzz of a new message or a sudden incoming phone call totally takes the attention from what is being read. To be still means you find a time when the kids wont distract you and that will probably be when they are sleeping so early morning or late night works best usually and find a quiet place where you can get alone with just you and the Lord and His Word. Pick a book and jump in. I do recommend reading the New Testament first. Then after that try reading the whole Bible at a pace that is comfortable for you. After you have read God's Word then incorporate a study book into your Scripture reading. I do encourage you though to make sure you spend more time reading the Bible than a Christian study book. While they are awesome supplements to the Word of God, a lot of times they become something that replaces actually reading the Word of God. It may feel odd at first and you may feel your mind wandering. You may even be bored at first or intimidated not really knowing what to read or do. Don't give up. It takes 21 days to form a new habit! Soon you will find yourself in a new routine that your soul craves. You will look forward to and find you very much need those times of getting alone and being still with the Lord. Some even find Bible journaling a great way to be still and mediate on God's Word. (This is the practice of doodling or drawing with purpose in ones Bible. For some great examples of what this looks like, check out Bible journaling on instagram) Give it 21 days and you will be so glad you started this new journey of being still before the Lord. You will learn. You will grow. You will understand more about life and God and yourself than ever before. You will find peace that passes all understanding. You will find strength for the hard times and grace to forgive people who have hurt you. You will find hope that endures and doesn't disappoint and you will find your purpose in the Lord. Now all this won't happen in just 21 days, but by developing this new habit in your life you will discover these things on your journey with the Lord. You will be tempted to let your time of being still with the Lord be the first thing you neglect when your schedule is overly busy. It's a very subtle thing Satan uses to bring us down. He knows how important the Bible is in a Christians life and he wants to distract us from having that vital source of encouragement and strength and truth. When we aren't spending that quiet alone time with the Lord each day we are so much more susceptible to falling prey to the lies Satan throws at us daily. We begin believing those lies, such as we are failing our kids, we are horrible friends, we are lousy wives and certainly God can't use us because of this that and the other. When we are taking that time every day to be still before the Lord and meditate on His Word we are prepared for these times of hardship and trials. A soldier doesn't go to war without his weapons and as Christians we cannot go about our days facing spiritual battles without our spiritual weapons that come from reading the Bible and spending time being still. Are you ready sisters in Christ? Are you ready to grow in your relationship with the Lord? Are you ready to start winning these spiritual battles? Are you ready to be still and know?
Psalm 37:7 "Be still in the presence of the Lord and wait patiently for him to act. Don't worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes."
Comments
Post a Comment