Sunday, November 16, 2008

Being Still

One of my favorite Bible verses is "Be still and know that I am God" (Psalm 46: 10). It first resonated with me about twenty-five years ago during a B.S.F. lesson. I can't recall now exactly which of their seven studies I was doing, but I do recall that I was thinking how much I would like to "be still" and not be doing so much. I often felt overwhelmed with family responsibilities, work responsibilities, and even church responsibilities. Today I am as busy as ever, but in different ways. My children are grown with families of their own. Not only do I still "worry" about my grown children, but now I have three sons-in-law and seven grandchildren for whom to be concerned. For example, two of my sons-in-law experienced job losses during the last few months. Both have wives and children to support. Each is a hardworking, Godly man who lost his job because of the downturn in the economy. Each is trusting God to bring him a means of providing for his family. Am I as a Christian being just as trusting? This is where the relevance of this Bible verse is even more meaningful for me today than it was twenty-five years ago. If I am feeling anxious, I know that I need to "be still" at the feet of my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. It works every time. The problem doesn't always get fixed immediately, but my heart attitude gets repaired.

I recall the words of Pastor Philip De Courcy during his sermon entitled, "It's Not as Bad as You Think." According to Pastor De Courcy, "Our darkest moments can be short corridors to sunlit rooms." In that same sermon he went on to remind us that "God exacts a purposeful control at all times." This should give us believers comfort during these difficult times and trials that we may be enduring. For instance in my life, there have been glimmers of hope for both of my sons-in-law to be involved in new career positions. One is actually working for a new company in his same field. At the moment, it means a cut in salary and a building up of a new client base, but God has already given my son-in-law clients in a field that isn't supposed to be flourishing. My other son-in-law is looking to return to police work after owning his own flower farm. In spite of some real challenges, like unexpected back surgery, things seem to be falling into place for him to become a policeman again. In the meantime, God has provided him with other non-career work.

As a believer, I know that I need not be anxious for anything as Philippians 4:6-7 reminds me. However, when I get too busy, especially for God, I get filled with anxiety. If I don't choose to slow down the pace of my life so that I take time for my Lord and my God, he will place me in circumstances that have me on my knees in no time at all. This is not a bad place to be. In fact, it feels comfortable and soothing. Being still and turning over all the "stuff" of life to my Holy God is the best thing I could ever do. May I always, "Be still and know that [he} is God."