This devotional was written by Christin Eschelbach
Be still, and know that I am God. – Psalm 46:10
When was the last time you were still?
Sadly, it is hard for me to pinpoint a time of stillness, and I was just on vacation! Still has never been a word anyone would use to describe my calendar or me. If you are like me you wear a couple of hats and overbook your calendar to make it all happen. There are even times I almost feel awkward if I am not doing, being, or going. I run through life on hyper speed feeling like the more I get done, the better off I am. This leaves little to no time for stillness.
But recently the verse above kept running through my mind like a song you can’t get out of your head. Within a day or two of rehearsing that verse in my mind over and over, I felt God gently calling me to sit at His feet and rest in Him. I am not going to lie, I brushed it off at first because I was in the middle of my morning routine, blow-dryer going and already a couple minutes behind schedule. I couldn’t just stop. Finally, I turned the blow-dryer off, even shocking myself a little bit, all the while grumbling to God about how long it takes to blow dry my hair and wondering exactly what this was about. Before I knew it I had kneeled down in my bedroom and for the first time in a long time I was completely still and quiet before the Lord. He graciously asked me, “How can you be in intimate relationship with me when you are always running never being still so you can hear and know me?”
I can’t!
Needless to say I was still that morning for the longest I had been in a really long time and my hair ended up in a bun on the top of my head that day. It was an amazing time between the Lord and me. I was reminded of just how much He loves me and that He knows my schedule and my needs better than I even do! It also gave me time to remember who He is:
- My redeemer
- My healer
- My protector
- My provider
- My sustainer
And that is just scratching the surface! That morning I realized by running, doing, and always going, I was leaving little to no time for God. I also realized that by trying to do it all myself, I was not trusting God for His provision therefore leaving little room for Him to show up in my daily routine.
What keeps you from being still?
- Work
- Motherhood
- Trying to please others
- Stress
- Recent hard times or difficult circumstances
Whatever it might be, God’s word tells us again in Exodus 14:14, The Lord will fight for you, you need only to be still. To be still does not come naturally to me, I am much more of a Martha than a Mary! (Luke 10:38-42) But I have realized some important things … I need stillness to know my God; I must be intentional about making time to be still; and I must have accountability to stick to it. So I encourage you to do what I’ve started doing: Have a friend ask you daily or weekly, if you have had time to be still.
My prayer today is that we would learn to truly be still and rest at the feet of God Almighty and let Him pour into us. Lord, remind us even in the midst of our chaos, routines, and busyness to stop, be still, and listen so we can know you are God!
Christin is the Women’s Ministry, Prayer, & Life Studies Assistant