Awhile ago, I wrote some thoughts about what it means to be still. Five years later, I’m still learning to be still. God had a talk with me about it. Here’s how it went:
What do you want to say to me, God?
Mostly I just want to sit here beside you.
No commandments, no instructions, no assignments?
Mostly I just want you to sit here beside Me.
Shouldn’t we be about the business of heaven?
Let’s just sit here together for awhile.
But, isn’t time of the essence?
Child, I am the Essence of Time.
You can only understand that as we sit here together for a little while.
Be
still
and
know
that
I
am
God.
Psalm 46:10
a small drop of ink 
How wonderful to hear His voice so clearly.
After I fell and broke my back ( and other misc essential parts) I really had to learn to be still and know the Great I Am. Now, 2 1/2 years later, I’ve realized I don’t pray with as much urgency and fervor as I used to. Over the years I’ve loved serving our church in various capacities, since I’ve fallen I can not. I’m well aware we are not saved by good works, but rather for good works, but I’m trying to find how I can ‘be still’ (all the time!) and still have a purpose. While I’m choosing the words for this comment I’m becoming aware that I’m equating ‘be still and know…’ with a daily mindset less than with a q
uiet 15 mins/30 mins daily. I suspect that is not what you were referring to, Dinah. (?)
(Not sure how to edit that q just. Lol)
😤
I think it’s one thing to get away to a quiet place to be still but another thing to cultivate an inner stillness that can be present even in the midst of busyness. I think the daily 15-30 minutes helps to anchor that stillness in our hearts, but it takes real awareness and effort to keep it from floating away! We tend to equate service to God with activity. God seems to be saying here that stillness has its own purpose. Thoughts?
Interesting. Are you thinking that perhaps stillness can equal service to God? I’m uncomfortable with that choice of words; service must require activity. Ha, then again, if the master requires stillness then stillness must be service. I like that. ☺ I’m very comfortable accepting that inner stillness can be cultivated in the midst of activity. I think stillness, for me, has a strong component of acceptance ( which goes hand in hand with thankfulness) in it. Of course that puts me back at my former realization — being still and being with God has reduced/replaced my clamoring. Can I have fervor while being still? Does one negate the other? Can I be adamant about needs before God while being still? It doesn’t seem like it.
As usual, you’ve got me thinking, Nanc! What’s the point of being still? So that we can know that He is God. There’s a constant need to recalibrate my thinking — He is God and I am not. Once I have stilled my clamoring (nice word choice!) and recognized His Sovereignty, my prayers can be just as fervent, but not frantic or desperate, because I have remembered that He is indeed in control. On my own, I can spin out of control pretty fast. A bit of stillness “rights” the ship, so that adamant prayer and active service is even more effective – done in the power of His might, not mine.
So hard to be still. We seem to be wired to move! I think of our grandsons who are constantly moving, doing, experimenting, practicing, etc. It takes such effort for them to be still, even for 5 seconds! But I see the same wiring for movement in myself when I go for a walk……I think that I will use this time to turn my mind to stillness and just listen to/for God. But 5 minutes into my walk, my mind has wandered to family, friends, plans, to-do lists, etc. I must reel my mind back in and focus on being still. And this happens more than once every time I go for a walk.
I agree, distraction is a real struggle when trying to pray. When we did a study on prayer last fall, this quote addressed distraction:
“If the heart wanders or is distracted, bring it back to the point quite gently and replace it tenderly in its Master’s presence. And even if you did nothing during the whole of your hour but bring your heart back and place it again in our Lord’s presence, though it went away every time you brought it back, your hour will be very well employed.” St. Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
I find praying out loud helps keep my mind on things, or keeping a pad of paper handy and writing down things I need to remember as they pop up and then going back to prayer, or go with the distraction and pray about it!
Here’s another good one: “We must pray to pray and continue in prayer, that our prayers may continue.” (Charles Spurgeon) Ha!
Yes. I find the wonder to Be Still, breath deep in and out slowly and feel the peace.Thanks for the Reminder Wayne Lipska 608-393-6488