Stillness

While enjoying my coffee this morning, I thought over the past week. It's been a roller coaster of emotions, and too often I gave in to fear or doubt when things were chaotic. The dictionary defines chaos as disorder, confusion.

But God commands quietness in our hearts. "Be still and know that I am God."

"A stillness before God invites the setting aside of achieving — to allow the simple grace of receiving."

How many times in the Bible are we told to abide, rest, trust, pray, have faith? Each of these words indicate to me a sense of going deeper and finding strength in something other than yourself.

Martha, Martha! Quit your busyness, your self-reliance. You cannot mend your soul, only God can. "Only one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen the better part." (Luke 10:42)

Be still and receive.


The Biblical "root-building" commands to abide and trust are often accompanied with fruits such as peace, joy, love, or longsuffering. Interestingly, it seems that growth happens when I'm steadily reaching deep into the soil of God's word, building that foundation. It's not in my busy-ness at church, work, volunteering, etc. To have the character of Christ, I must be still and go deep; meditate on the Lord. Setting aside the "important" things in my day to get quiet; even if that means finding a quiet place in my heart when there is noise around me. 

Blessed is the man
  who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
 nor stands in the way of sinners,
  nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
 but his delight is in the law of the LORD,
  and on his law he meditates day and night.
 He is like a tree
  planted by streams of water
 that yields its fruit in its season,
 and its leaf does not wither.
 In all that he does, he prospers.
 The wicked are not so,
  but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
  nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
 for the LORD knows the way of the righteous,
  but the way of the wicked will perish.
(Psalm 1 ESV)