I’ve found a very difficult example found in scripture to follow is “Be Still”.
First, I visualize a monk sitting with his legs crossed and emptying his mind of thought chatter so he can hear something meaningful in the silence. Personally, I find being mentally still impossible! If I’m awake, there are many thoughts bouncing around in my head like a pinball machine. Fortunately, I don’t find this monk-like meditation to be the context the scripture is referring to. So glad!
Some verses on this subject that quickly come to mind.
Psalm 37:7 – Be still and rest in the Lord; wait for Him and patiently lean yourself upon Him; fret not yourself because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked devices to pass.
Psalm 46:10 – Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
I believe these verses are referring to our ability to rest in God’s presence as the world’s influences and our own nature bombard us with challenges. We race through scenario after scenario in our minds, trying to figure out how to best handle them. Meanwhile, the Holy Spirit within us is encouraging us to just be quiet for a while and give God a chance to speak and reveal Himself in our challenges.
In these times, I often feel the Spirit speaking into my restless heart and mind. It feels as if He’s saying “Stop, don’t act on any decision just yet. Instead, work on stilling your emotional mind and just trust, and pray, and trust some more, until you feel the Holy Spirit revealing God’s answer in you”. Then act on the recognizing of God’s direction through the Holy Spirit’s usual still, quiet voice.
Some challenges are small and part of everyday life, and then there are the storms that come into our lives like a wrecking ball that can quickly destroy our world. We quickly find ourselves in a state of heightened emotions and our mind jumps into fight-or-flight mode trying to figure out what to do. I’m wagering you can remember some storms in your life. Perhaps you’re in one right now.
Mark 4:39 – Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.
Storms come packaged with opportunities available to benefit those who truly understand this “being still”. As we learn through experience, to immediately put our emotions in check and place our full trust in God. Such experiences are outstanding teachers when we grow through them.
Jesus has showed He can cause storms to be still at the sound of His voice. We read about this display of complete obedience, even from the elements, to Jesus in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke.
In our prayer lives, we can get so caught up in our speaking to God that we rarely pause and just be still and quietly listen with our hearts and minds. In our prayer life, we should pause more often and ask God to work through his Holy Spirit, making Himself real to us and lead us into His holy presence. Christians can start prayer without a sense of God’s presence and come into it through such a pattern.
A short poem to leave you with.
“O let my trembling soul be still, And wait thy wise, thy holy will! I cannot, Lord, thy purpose see, Yet all is well since ruled by thee.” ― Charles H. Spurgeon,