As a parent, wife, sister, daughter you can easily find yourself spinning with busyness. It does not have to be the holiday season. When you suffer with chronic pain you find yourself having to stop dead in your tracks as the world keeps spinning. At the beginning of my diagnosis this was the case, and I did not take it well mentally. I was forced to rest, but in that I found God saying, “Be Still”. Lets talk about the three best ways that you should practice being still.
In Psalm 46:10 we read the Psalmist give a declaration from God.
"Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth."
This Psalm is one to the “sons of Korah” and is written as God is speaking to the all nations. The Lord of Host is with us and therefore wants us to be still before God and know that He is in control. He is in control even when we are physically suffering. This is not to say that He is causing your pain, but I would dare to say that He is allowing it.
As we journey through a life that seems out of control, we should be still before the Lord.
We live in the noisest time in the history of the world. The tech industry is overwhelming us with information and this noise. We struggle to be quiet. This challenge draws us to a disconnect to the one who longs to be connected to us the most-God. In this disconnect from Him, we lose site of what God is trying to clearly communicate about His plan for our lives and the world.
In our being being still before the Lord, we would find Him more. I mentioned the early days of my chronic pain diagnosis where I was forced to be still. Brain fog had set in so my attention span for reading was gone. I hurt so much that I did not want to linger in activities and events very often or for very long. The only recourse that I found was comfort in my being still. I spent time in prayer, meditation, albeit short, and listening . I cut out the noise and found God.
Might I suggest that in our being still we are left to hear His voice. The gentle whisper that God sends through His Holy Spirit is the wisdom and comfort we need. When we are in a cycle of pain or illness, Gods comfort and wisdom speaking to us is just the Be Still conversation that we need. He can offer us a deeper and tender walk with Him throughout those days. We seek Him closly when we are at our most desperate moments.
Three ways to seek Him
in our being still moments are to first, literally stop and rest our minds and hearts. Cut out the noise- No television, music, podcast, phone dings, etc. We need to take 15 minutes of quiet to sit with God. Some people dig into His Word certain times of the day more than others. Pick your best time of day and sit still after a moment of prayer asking Him to quiet your Spirit so you can hear His voice.
The second way to Be Still is to journal. If you set a timer for 20-30 minutes and write down thoughts, prayers, and concerns then you will be able to notice a pattern of God speaking over those things in your life. Find a rhythm of writing that works for you. One tip to try in the new year is to use the new Rhythms for Life Journal by Rebekah Lyons. It is based off her bestseller, Rhythms for Life. In this three month journal you will find a cycle of Being Still before the Lord that speaks to your soul.
Lastly, the third best way to being still before Him is to spend time in prayer.
Go before the Lord after reading His Word and take extra time to combine the journaling and the quiet from before and write out your prayers. Keep a notebook of the things that you pray about. Post Scriptures that you find speak to your needs or concerns. Pray for others not just the things that are causing you hurt. When we take our eyes off of ourselves and place them on God and others then we find our pain is lessened. We are training our brains to think of others and God first. As you review through the year your prayer notebook, you will find that God has answered those prayers. He has honored that Being Still before Him moment.
We need to set up a War Room to battle it out with God for the needs and concerns before us, our family and our friends. It says in Psalm 55:22
“Cast your burden on the Lord, and He will sustain you; He will never permit the righteous to be moved."
The promise that He will sustain us means that He gives us enough to move forward today. This is so very comforting. When life is easy, we often go about it without consulting God or leaning in to hear His voice. In our discomfort, we find that we are more dependent on Him to meet our every need. It is in this war room, journaling and just being still before God that we grow in step with His heart.
How do you find yourself these days? Are you in a world-wind of activity and noise or do you find yourself in a Be Still moment?
God is calling you today to Practice Being Still.
Pray with me- Father God, quiet my soul. Help me hear your still small voice. In the midst of the pain, suffering and injustices in this world, let me hear you today. Break my heart for what breaks yours. Amen.