subject: Be Still [print this page] Why does it matter to be still? I believe it is because that is how you get in touch with Gods heart and see things a little more from the perspective of God. He says it is simple to do this, just two little words, Be still.
Yet as little as those words are, weve been raised in such a noisy world that silence actually makes a lot of us uncomfortable. If there isnt background sound, we turn some on fast! And yet God says He is best known in silent times. We have so few. And while Christian radio, TV, and music can encourage our growth in Christ, even they can jam what God wants to say to our heart if they are always on.
Telephones, cell phones, beepers, faxes, emails, text messaging, iPods, and CDs are all competing for us to listen to them. Then theres the quiet noisenewspapers, magazines, novels, piles of mail, and email. The Bible tells us that Satan is crafty, and I am positive that he, being the enemy of our souls, knows that one way to keep us from hearing Gods voice is by drowning Him out with noise.
As Martha was stressfully running around serving Jesus, He told her that what her sister Mary was doing was the most important thing, quietly sitting at His feet just listening to Him. Thats what we have way too little of. We have plenty of Martha busyness, but not much Mary quietness, just listening to Jesus. As a result, our minds are stressed and our souls are parched.
I wonder if God is saying to you in the midst of the barrenness of a busy life, Slow down. Youre missing Me in all of this because youre not protecting our quiet times.
You literally have to fight for those quiet times in a world of noise. Try driving without the music or DVD players on, just so you can listen to your Lord. Leave the TV off, skip the news, exercise without the music, go away, if necessary, just to be still and know He is God.
Begin by praising Him specifically for attributes and actions that youve been experiencing, and then listen to Him through extended time in His Word. Pour out your deepest feelings to Him in prayer and listen in your soul for His responses. Keep a notepad handy and write down whatever He seems to be saying during this time when His voice is the only one youre listening to.
Satan doesnt want you to hear the messages from Gods heart to your heart, so he just keeps trying to jam Gods communications, drowning out the truth with noise. You cant afford to miss those messages from Gods heart to your heart. Carve out some silence. In the silence, you can hear heaven.
