Be Still
By Monique Luckey, Mt. Pleasant UMC, Stanley, NC
“Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.”
This past year I've had a lot of time to be still, as well as many of you, due to the Coronavirus. It reminds me of the scripture ``Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalms 46:10). Sometimes being still is a way to get your mind to reflect on what is important in your life, sometimes being still is when you take the time to speak to others. Being still can be you quieting your body, slowing down to listen to it or stilling/quieting your mind to be closer and focus on God.
This year we have had time to reflect on what is really important in our lives and how we need to reach out to others outside the walls and confines of the church. To include people you do not know and helping them through their frustrating/challenging situation while having people help you through yours. It's time to stop looking at others for what they can do for you and start looking how together we can be better human beings.
This year, stop and think about this circumstance: what if God knocked on your door and said “I need to talk to you,” what would your response be...
• I'm sorry I'm checking Facebook, can you come back later,
• I'm cooking dinner,
• I'm streaming my favorite TV show,
• I have a church meeting,
• I need to go to my child's baseball practice.
Excuse after excuse. Suddenly, your car won't start, you cannot find your keys, a storm happens and you can't go to your child’s practice, or the electricity goes off…. would you then need to talk to God, is this when you'll be still? Sometimes we all need to be reminded/made to be still to” hear, feel and listen to God”. When those times happen do you take the time and talk to God or do you take that time and get mad at the situation?
What does it mean to be still and know that I am God?
Form: https://www.gotquestions.org/
Be still. This is a call for those involved in the war to stop fighting, to be still. The word still is a translation of the Hebrew word rapa, meaning “to slacken, let down, or cease.” In some instances, the word carries the idea of “to drop, be weak, or faint.” It connotes two people fighting until someone separates them and makes them drop their weapons. It is only after the fighting has stopped that the warriors can acknowledge their trust in God. Christians often interpret the command to “be still” as “to be quiet in God’s presence.” While quietness is certainly helpful, the phrase means to stop frantic activity, to let down, and to be still. For God’s people being “still” would involve looking to the Lord for their help (cf. Exodus 14:13); for God’s enemies, being “still” would mean ceasing to fight a battle they cannot win.
Know that I am God. Know in this instance means “to properly ascertain by seeing” and “acknowledge, be aware.” How does acknowledging God impact our stillness? We know that He is omniscient (all-knowing), omnipresent (present everywhere), omnipotent (all-powerful), holy, sovereign, faithful, infinite, and good. Acknowledging God implies that we can trust Him and surrender to His plan because we understand who He is.
African Business Institute
Therefore, not only do I believe that God put us each in the world during the Coronavirus pandemic for a specific purpose, He has given us ample time and flexibility with which to find it. We are the blessed generation that gets to contemplate, seek, and shape our callings from a whole new playing field. Let us not mess this up. Let us:
“Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.”
This past year I've had a lot of time to be still, as well as many of you, due to the Coronavirus. It reminds me of the scripture ``Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalms 46:10). Sometimes being still is a way to get your mind to reflect on what is important in your life, sometimes being still is when you take the time to speak to others. Being still can be you quieting your body, slowing down to listen to it or stilling/quieting your mind to be closer and focus on God.
This year we have had time to reflect on what is really important in our lives and how we need to reach out to others outside the walls and confines of the church. To include people you do not know and helping them through their frustrating/challenging situation while having people help you through yours. It's time to stop looking at others for what they can do for you and start looking how together we can be better human beings.
This year, stop and think about this circumstance: what if God knocked on your door and said “I need to talk to you,” what would your response be...
• I'm sorry I'm checking Facebook, can you come back later,
• I'm cooking dinner,
• I'm streaming my favorite TV show,
• I have a church meeting,
• I need to go to my child's baseball practice.
Excuse after excuse. Suddenly, your car won't start, you cannot find your keys, a storm happens and you can't go to your child’s practice, or the electricity goes off…. would you then need to talk to God, is this when you'll be still? Sometimes we all need to be reminded/made to be still to” hear, feel and listen to God”. When those times happen do you take the time and talk to God or do you take that time and get mad at the situation?
What does it mean to be still and know that I am God?
Form: https://www.gotquestions.org/
Be still. This is a call for those involved in the war to stop fighting, to be still. The word still is a translation of the Hebrew word rapa, meaning “to slacken, let down, or cease.” In some instances, the word carries the idea of “to drop, be weak, or faint.” It connotes two people fighting until someone separates them and makes them drop their weapons. It is only after the fighting has stopped that the warriors can acknowledge their trust in God. Christians often interpret the command to “be still” as “to be quiet in God’s presence.” While quietness is certainly helpful, the phrase means to stop frantic activity, to let down, and to be still. For God’s people being “still” would involve looking to the Lord for their help (cf. Exodus 14:13); for God’s enemies, being “still” would mean ceasing to fight a battle they cannot win.
Know that I am God. Know in this instance means “to properly ascertain by seeing” and “acknowledge, be aware.” How does acknowledging God impact our stillness? We know that He is omniscient (all-knowing), omnipresent (present everywhere), omnipotent (all-powerful), holy, sovereign, faithful, infinite, and good. Acknowledging God implies that we can trust Him and surrender to His plan because we understand who He is.
African Business Institute
Therefore, not only do I believe that God put us each in the world during the Coronavirus pandemic for a specific purpose, He has given us ample time and flexibility with which to find it. We are the blessed generation that gets to contemplate, seek, and shape our callings from a whole new playing field. Let us not mess this up. Let us:
- be still and isolate ourselves with God, pouring out our hearts before Him, telling Him our truest desires
- be still and carefully analyze the emerging new normal in our fundamentally changing world
- be still and self-reflect deeply upon what we have and can give (talents, resources) that the world needs
- be still and take time to creatively visualize our unique callings, not allowing traditional norms to hold us down
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