Be Still and Know God

I am sitting here and the house is absolutely silent.  I can hear the wind blowing outside, the rain hitting the windows, the wind chimes singing, and the dryer tumbling clothes.  Solitude and silence, in the presence of God and His Word, absolutely re-charges me.  There is nothing I enjoy more, than to be still before Him.

"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

Although, I never use to be like this. I remember how I always had like an ADD heart.  I was always being distracted by life and things to do, and inner peace was something I never had.  My mind and my heart were always busy - thinking and doing.   My heart was distracted with the outside forces of life.

To be still with myself and with God was something I avoided at all costs.  My relationship with God was filled with a lot of tasks and to-do’s.   

As I ponder this topic today, I think the shame and self-hatred were so huge for me back then, that I feared if I really slowed down on the inside of my heart, God might see what was really there.  I feared Jesus would see me and he would not want anything to do with me.  I feared rejection and shame.   I feared He would not like me nor love what He saw.  Oh, what a lie.

“Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”  Hebrews 4:16

I remember my first silent retreat I did in 2002.  I attended my first Sabbath retreat down at the San Francisco Theological Seminary.  It was an eight day silent retreat where for eight whole and VERY long days - you were not allowed to talk to others (except in a few spiritual direction meetings).  

You were not allowed to put worship music on or read books to distract you.  Absolute silence and stillness were required.   I had never silenced my tongue like that before, much less my heart or my body.  It was like taking my whole body, mind, soul and spirit from running at 1,000 mph down to 2 mph.  What a trip and experience that was!  I never knew inner peace.  Yet, God was about to show me how to begin living a life of peace.

“You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.”  Isaiah 26:3

When I signed up for the retreat, I thought it would be fun.  FUN?! Although what I encountered at this retreat was both intensely disturbing and absolutely freeing.  

My journey towards freedom began at this retreat because I realized what God is most after.  What God is most after is our hearts and connecting with us in our inner man.

There was a battle for my heart and for me to never come to the realization that God is found in stillness.  

He is found in the command, “be still”.  

It was here, in the stillness of my heart that I became very real, raw, tender, vulnerable, and transparent before a loving God.  I remember it took me at least three days for my heart and mind to slow down from all the distractions, cares, worries and concerns of life that had engulfed my heart.  

But as soon as all those distractions began to fade away, my heart came to the forefront, and I began to stand in the presence of a Holy and yet Loving God.  I began to know Him more fully.  His Word came more and more alive and the revelation of who Christ is, came forth in deeper dimensions.

“Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ.”  Phil 3:8

It was here, that the Lord began to call me to come away and to talk with Him.  To connect with Him in the depths of my heart.

“My heart has heard you say, ‘Come and talk with me.’ And my heart responds, ‘Lord, I am coming'".  Psalm 27:8

It was in these moments of silence and solitude, and reading the Word, that God began to teach me more about Himself and about the power of what happens when we still ourselves before Him.  It is the power to know our God and to be in a personal relationship with our creator.  

Stillness is not an outward condition of our bodies, it is an inward attitude of the heart.  It is in this stillness and quietness of our hearts where God will meet us.

This afternoon, as I wait for my sons to arrive home from school, I am contemplating this gift.  The gift of stillness and of silence.  For in the silence and solitude of our hearts - we can find God and come to know Him.  

"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

God is aching and desiring for us to slow down our busy lives, the lives within the walls of our own hearts to encounter a loving God.  He wants to touch us, hold us, and love us.

So often, we run through life so fast, and we say our quick prayers to God, and we even offer up our love, and yet - we never slow down long enough for Him to embrace us and love us.  For Him to speak to us and sing His songs of delight over us.

"Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her.”  Hosea 2:15

“The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing."  Zephaniah 3:17

Scripture tells us to love God with all our hearts, minds, soul and strength, and to love others as we love ourselves.  If we want the world to know the love of God, and to know Jesus, we must first be carriers of that revelation ourselves.  We must know the truth first, before we can be witnesses of this love.

“He answered:  'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind' ; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' "  Luke 10:27

I encourage you today if you have never tried stillness, or silence, to set aside a time to be quiet before God.  No books, no music, no journals, nothing but you, your heart, your Bible and God.  I won’t recommend eight days as your first trial run. But try an hour or two.  Or maybe a day away.  But do offer some time up to the Lord, to be still...and see what He reveals to you about Himself.  He is so worth the find.

Dear Lord,

Thank you for you and for the gift of solitude.  Thank you that we can be still and know you.  Thank you that through the death of your son Jesus, we can have an intimate and powerful relationship with the God who created the heavens and the earth.  Lord, help us today to be still before You.  Give us a hunger for your Word.  Let it be a lamp unto our feet, leading us in all we do.  We love you Jesus.  Help us to more fully receive your love and be transformed by you!  In Jesus name, Amen.