Be Still and Know I am God
“Be Still and Know I am God.”
Psalm 46:10
The day started with the alarm going off. “Time to get up,” I think to myself. It is 4:30 AM and today is not just another day…it is my son Kenan’s 12th birthday!
So, I got up and headed to the gym. The sky was dark and the stars shining all so bright. I jumped into my car and was met with the smell of stale, leftover Bo-Berry biscuits!!
I was on a mission to hit the gym, get back home, and then get ready for this special day! So instead of throwing out the old stinky biscuits, I decided to press on. I thought, “No time to throw those away!” So I stayed the course…off to the gym.
After a tough workout, as I drove home and pulled into the garage the biscuit smell was still ever so present. “Today is trash day”, I reminded myself. So I emptied my car and headed into my quiet house for a fresh cup of coffee and quiet time with the Lord. “Aww,” I thought, as I took in the peace of the still dark day…I could already hear the birds chirping and singing a new tune.
The minutes flew by as I sat with the Lord, and it was time to awake the troops and get them off to school. The mad rush of mornings in The Bowman house are, well…. allow your mind to imagine three kids, my husband, and an intense working mom ALL trying desperately to get out of the door by 7:30am. Oh, and there’s also our dog Cooper. So I woke my special birthday boy, as presents, phone calls, and assorted Happy Birthday messages awaited him downstairs. I rushed to pack lunches, book bags, and of course, spread out Kenan’s gifts, I quickly realized: “My keys …where are my keys???” They were missing!! “YIKES, this I not good,” I said, as my thoughts were racing. Naturally, everyone was yelling within 30 seconds, as distractions can be paramount in our household. I think to myself, “Well, at least I did drive home from working out this morning, right?!!”
The minutes are closing in, and if I don’t get going soon I’m going to be late for work…I need to move on. Instinctively, I grab the spare key and head out the door, frantically pressing on into my day. After dropping the kids off at school, I take a deep breath and turn on some worship music. Then I hear a faint voice whispering into my ear: “YOUR KEYS ARE IN THE TRASH. GO HOME!” All of sudden my internal dialogue begins…it goes something like this.
Voice #1 (my voice): “You must go home now! Your keys are in the trash can.”
Voice #2 (also my voice): “NO way, are you crazy?? I mean, I’ve got to get to work! I’ve got so many things to do, emails to respond to…and I must get ready for morning devotion.”
As I drove further toward work, the nudging of Voice #1 got louder, and I realized that I must pay attention and be obedient to it. So, I chose to return home and check the trash can, risking a late start to my workday. Sure enough, as I approached the trash can I could see my way-too-big keychain, right there on top of the container, beside the stale Bo-Berry biscuits!
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”
John 10:27
What would have happened if I had silenced Voice #1 within me and pressed onward to my job?? What if my keys had been thrown out with the weekly trash, never to be found? Or worse yet, what if someone had found and taken my keys?
Is this not an example of how daily life often is for each one of us?? We are constantly distracted, avoiding our anxious thoughts, and steering away from the discomforts of life.
BUT, when we make the choice to “Be Still”, silence the enemy, listen to His voice, believe, trust and obey…that’s when the magic happens!
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear.”
Psalm 46 1-2
Today, Lord, please silence the thoughts and the distractions that take over in our minds. Help us to push away the lies, take up Your truth, and rest in your presence. Allow today for us to be intentional with our mind, and to be self-aware of our surroundings, choosing to press into the discomforts of life. Today, we choose to take joy in You that lives in us.
In your precious name Jesus, we pray, Amen.
Scripture for today, “Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”
Philippians 4:8
- Elizabeth Bowman