Today’s passage is one of my favorite pieces. Not surprisingly, it also reminds me of a song. When I hear a song for the first time, I will listen intently to the lyrics. I want to understand the song’s message to decide if the song has meaning, evokes a memory, or causes me to feel something, before I will pay attention to the rhythm or instruments being played.
Because I am a lyrics first person, I try to commit my favorites to memory. It doesn’t take many words to trigger a song in my head. As soon as I started reading today’s passage a song did indeed pop into my head.(Link to song is right before the Bible passage) Today’s passage is from Psalms. It makes sense that a songwriter would use words from Psalms. The psalms were written as songs to be sung while worshiping God.
The great King David, of David and Goliath fame, wrote appropriately two-thirds to three-quarters of the book of Psalms. (If my math is off, sorry! I am a writer, not a mathematician.) David even wrote some of his psalms when he was hiding out in the mountains to avoid being killed by King Saul. David’s psalms reflect the full range of his emotions. If your feelings have you so knotted up inside that you can’t find the words to express your feelings, I encourage you to read the Psalms. Chances are very good that you will find the words you need.
Today’s passage is Psalm 46. Verse 10 of the psalm says, “Be still and know that I am God.” This calls back to the time when Moses stood looking at the burning bush. Moses questioned the bush asking, “Whom shall I say has sent me?” God spoke from the bush and replied, “Tell them I AM has sent you.” Here David confirms I AM is God.
The first part of Psalm 46:10 is interesting, too. It tells us to “be still and know.” Implied here is that in order to know I AM, we must first be still, Being still is not easy to do. It’s counter-intuitive. I can’t tell you how many times I have heard, “Don’t just sit there. Do something!”
As an elementary school child, I didn’t have any problems with sitting still. In the 1970’s when I was in school, ADD/ADHD was not talked about or understood. It was easy to tell if a child was hyperactive, because that child could not sit still at their desk. I never had that problem. I was a child that daydreamed rather than doing whatever independent task was assigned. It wasn’t until I was an adult and long gone from elementary school that I learned that dreamy attitude is typical of a girl who has ADD/ADHD.
When I was not sitting in a classroom and forced to sit at a desk, it seemed that I was supposed to be doing something or else I was called “lazy” or “slowpoke”. In actuality, it was another classic sign of my learning challenge – procrastination. Simply sitting and being offended my parents a lot, especially since I was supposed to be cleaning my room.
It’s not good for people to have a schedule so packed that there’s no room to just be. Stress, anxiety, and burnout are so common, I think that sitting still, being, and learning about God is something that is sorely needed. In fact, before reading Psalm 46, I challenge you to sit silently for ten minutes. Listen for God’s still small voice. Elijah found out that God’s not in the storm, but in the quiet. He’s still there in the quiet waiting for people to stop and pay attention to Him.
https://youtu.be/ET8nBYhcok8?si=qr2l92VMs7n7Tbc2
”God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Come and see what the Lord has done, the desolations he has brought on the earth. He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire. He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.“
Psalm 46:1-11 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/psa.46.1-11.NIV
My God, as I sit here in the silence, all I can think about is how big this silence seems. It reflects Your greatness and majesty. Being an extrovert, I avoid silence. I am never at a loss for words. I must use my words to fill the emptiness. But, when I am still and quiet before You, there’s no feeling of emptiness, because You consume all of the quiet. You don’t do it by yelling at me, shouting over the clutter in my head. No. You come into the quiet and I suddenly don’t feel like I am alone. You speak to me quietly and with great patience as I seek to fill a page with the words that you give me. Or, I will feel a nudge to open the Bible and read and learn more about You and Your nature. Sometimes, I have thoughts racing through my mind. How can I tell which is Your voice? It’s the one that speaks to me in loving and caring words. The voice that I hear telling me that I have failed once more or that I am a lot for most people, that is not You. You discipline those that You love. But, You don’t discipline with harsh words, threats, or condemnation. No. You are gentle with Your correction. You don’t yell and tell me that I am a fat slob who has no business eating a piece of chocolate cake, much less the second one that is resting on my plate. Instead, You cause me to drop it on the floor, or You will send a child or spouse to me who wants a bite. Sometimes, You will even alter my taste buds and the cake tastes like dirt. Your ways are kind and gentle. That’s why You are found in the stillness. It’s a mistake for me to confuse Your gentle nature with weakness. Rather, it is in my weakness that Your strength shows its might. When I look for escape, You put steel in my backbone so that I can face my tormentor and give You all of the honor, glory, and praise that are rightfully Yours. Lord, I want to know You better. Please give me times of stillness and quiet so that I can seek You out. Thank You for being with me and caring for me. Amen.
Journey with Monica 