Be Still

Many of us are adrenaline addicts to some degree. We surround ourselves with fast-paced schedules, entertainment, sports, movies and social media. Always feeling like we have to be doing something and even convinced that doing nothing and being still is somehow wrong. In fact, a lot of people are trying to pack 28 hours into a 24 hour day. The pace of society can literally take your breath away!

Psalm 46:10 tells us to Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. Notice the writer uses the word will after instructing us to be still. In doing so, we learn that one action must follow the other. We must first be still in order to know God.

I challenge you to a 30 second test. Close your eyes and let your mind wander. What did you think of? What things raced through your mind? Did you cheat and look at your watch before the 30 seconds was up? Did it seem a lot longer than just half of a minute? These types of experiences can tell a lot about where we are at mentally as well as spiritually and even physically. When was the last time you checked your heart rate in the middle of a jam packed day?

In The Book of Numbers (9:8), Moses tells those around him to be quiet so that he can hear what God had to say. He was having trouble hearing God because of all the noise around him. You and I are the same way. We sometimes have way too much noise around us which prevents us from hearing Him correctly. Many times, this carries over to worship service and reading God's Word. How many times has your mind wandered while reading the Bible or during a church service? Many churches have started to focus on pure entertainment just to keep the attention of its' congregation for an hour or two.

The New Testament has over eight verses talking about Jesus being still. In Mark and Luke alone, Jesus sought stillness, quiet, solitude and/or withdrew so that he could truly hear what God was saying. And like Jesus, you and I need to sometimes shut out the noise of the world.

Are you finding time to be still in an adrenaline-filled world? It will take some work on our part, but the difference in how you hear God will be amazing...

Pastor Aaron