Be still!

I don't know about you, but sometimes I need help. Sometimes, the help needed is something I can get from family or friends. Other times, it is much deeper, more difficult to satisfy. I was listening to another of those lectures of Dr. Seamands this morning in which he was describing an interview of Joni Erickson-Tada, the quadriplegic who has turned her handicap into a witness of God's grace. In this interview, Joni spoke of trying to get her head around what it meant to be a quadriplegic, the eternal "why". She concluded that one day God is going to give her the key that unlocks the answer to that question. That's not now, though. For now, she needs to be content in Him.

A few weeks ago, I was at a gathering of academic leaders. That day, one of our group led us in a devotional. Honestly, I can't remember much about the devotional. However, one thing the leader said was that he and his wife practiced scripture memorization and would find opportunities to use that scripture over and over. It helped make relevant the scripture while at the same time spoke into that point of their lives. I thought to myself, "That's what I need to do. I need to use the scriptures in that way." Yes, I've heard others say the same thing, but I got it this time.

Following that lead, I decided to do the same. I picked a verse of scripture that has not been far from me for quite some time. Psalm 46:10, "Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." Be still. I don't know about you, but sometimes my life gets in a major uproar. I start worrying, fretting over what is or what might be or what isn't. "Be still." But, I need an answer to this terrific problem! "Shhhh. Just be still." Yes, but... "Be still." The still small voice whispers, "Be still and know that I am God." Don't worry about this. Just rest and trust in Him. I keep having to hear that but every time I do, I hear the comfort, grace, love of the Father compelling me to "cast all my cares on Him because He cares for me." (1 Peter 5:7) Hear it? "Be still."

Friends, I don't know what you face but this one thing I do know. God is fully aware and is not in the least caught by surprise by your predicament. We can have every confidence that He will work all things for our good. He will answer. He will reveal some of those answers later, when we are with Him in person. But, until then, rest in Him. "Be still and know that He is God."