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For me, understanding this passage has been a progression
of my faith. It has not been an instant discovery,
but rather a step-by-step revelation, which I would
like to share with you:
“Be STILL and know that I am God.”
First, I have to get to the place where I am ready
and able to listen. I have to get beyond the busyness
so that I can capture what God wants to share with
me. I must make myself available. I show up. I prepare
fertile ground for what God has to offer by opening
up my heart.
“Be still and KNOW that I am God.”
KNOWING isn’t simply head knowledge; it
has to do with our souls. It isn’t mental ascent;
it’s a personal revelation. I encounter Him
in a way that sparks my spirit and changes my understanding.
It isn’t simply recognizing that He is who He
says He is. It is recognizing who He is in the midst
of my life. KNOWING comes through the tests of life,
and through life’s experiences, I become secure
in the knowledge of who He is and what He does.
“Be still and know that I am GOD.”
This is the sovereignty issue. This is trusting
God enough to relinquish control to Him. It is scary
but necessary in order to experience His peace. This
life is not about me; it’s about God. I am not
God, He is. God is first; I am not. He has plans for
me; I don’t have plans for Him. This takes a
while to learn, especially since the flesh wants to
get in the way.
One Last Thought
I pray that God would show you, as He has been doing
with me, what it is He wishes to speak into you. I
pray that God would give you a keen ear to hear and
spiritual eyes to see and the right spirit to know
and accept what part of Himself He wishes to reveal
to you and in you in the coming days.
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Well Versed
Stillness: A New ‘Frame’
of Mind
By Laura J. Bagby
CBN.com Sr. Producer
CBN.com –
"Be still, and know that I am God ...”
(Psalm 46:10a, NIV).
When it comes to my relationship with God, if I am not in tune
with Him, I tend to put up a fight. I like to defend my position,
or I want to run ahead of Him without His permission, or I would
rather go kicking and screaming into the next level of faith instead
of letting go, as God had intended for me all along. Whatever
the case, I am a flurry of movement, whether bodily or verbally.
Stillness isn’t something I naturally relate to. It is
something I must consciously—with the help of Jesus—work at. Just drinking in God’s presence or waiting for
Him to speak to me or even do things in me is difficult. It’s
not that I am ADHD. It’s just that there are times when
seemingly doing nothing (i.e., “being still” as I
often wrongly understand it) makes me uncomfortably aware of just
how empty I am and how impatient I can truly be.
But God, who is rich in mercy and ever mindful of my personality
flaws, has a way of working into me the things that I cannot naturally
understand myself. And so I will share an illustration with you
about God’s gentleness that I hope will inspire you toward
abiding in Him.
The Journal Entry
Praying for direction is something I do often. I want to know
what God wants me to DO, because if I know what God wants me to
DO, then I can plan. I have a goal, and with that goal, I have
a sense of being in control of my destiny. I am secure in the
knowledge of what is clearly expected of me.
Back in the beginning of 2004 , I spent a block of time seeking God for the
next steps of my life, with the hopes of learning more specifics
about my career path, my marital status, and any exciting adventures
that God might have for me. Part of the message that I received
from God was Psalm 46:10, but it didn’t really sink in.
Though I wrote it down as part of my journal entry that January
day, the message left but a whisper in my spiritual consciousness.
I took it more as an afterthought than as the still, small voice
of God.
Yet, this was exactly the message God had for me that year. I
just didn’t know it yet. Not until God, in His creativity,
repeatedly showed me. And the first avenue He used was art.
A Creative God Moment
I love art shows. I love the beauty and the originality of the
different art media—pottery, paintings, crafts, metal
work. It inspires the artist in me. So when I heard about an art
show in Virginia Beach, I gladly headed out the door with my roommate,
Cathy, to enjoy a wonderful outdoor feast for the senses.
We were about halfway through the exhibits when Cathy saw some
artwork that caught her eye. I resisted the urge to move on ahead
and followed her instead to peruse the small display of paintings.
These garden-inspired paintings were on glass. Each painted glass
panel was encased in a wooden frame, and inscribed on each wooden
frame was a Scripture verse.
I liked the concept, so I too joined in rummaging through the
bins to find the painting that had the particular Scripture verse
that I felt best spoke to me. I had always loved Jeremiah 29:11
and often quoted it over my life and the lives of others. Just
to refresh your memory, it is the verse that begins “I know
the plans I have for you, declares the Lord”. I always loved
that verse because it portrays the active role God has in our
lives. It was reassuring to know I wasn’t going to fly blind
through life because God had a master plan for me that was good
and hope-giving and prospering.
When I found the painting with the verse I wanted, I decided
I didn’t like the color scheme at all. I disappointedly
returned it to the bin. I wasn’t about to buy an ugly painting,
no matter what the message.
I noticed that Cathy was contemplating a painting with more vibrant
colors of red and yellow flowers. That’s more my style,
I thought, secretly hoping that Cathy wouldn’t buy that
one. My wish came true. Cathy found a more subdued picture that
she liked better. Here was my chance. I picked up the discarded
picture and carefully read the verse. I bet you can guess what
it said: “Be still and know that I am God.”
Because I am prone to spiritual cluelessness, I didn’t
recall my January journal entry. I bought that painting because
it was pretty, took it home, and decided to nail it on my wall
above the TV because that is where it looked best—nothing really
spiritual about it to me.
Message Received
Fast forward a couple of months. During the Regent University
alumni weekend in October, I sang in the alumni worship choir.
The night of the worship service, the worship leader had everyone,
including the choir, sit down and wait on the Lord to speak to
our hearts. I was actually in the right attitude to listen, so
I closed my eyes and waited for Him to speak.
And did He speak! His message to me was… well, by now you
can probably guess. The third time must be the charm, as they
say, because I finally started to get it. I began to understand
that God was calling me away from performance, away from what
I was most comfortable with: doing. I was a human being for a
reason. If I were truly meant to do, do, do, then I would be called
a human doing, wouldn’t I?
Instead of feeling empty or lacking inside or upset that God
was holding me back from something, I simply felt God’s
peace, something I desperately needed. I wasn’t chafing
in God’s presence. I didn’t feel the need to do anything
except exist in His presence. I felt His acceptance and wholeness.
It was truly amazing.
I still have that picture hung where I can see it the moment
I close my eyes at night and the moment my eyes open in the morning.
It is a constant and visible reminder that I don’t need
to do anything for God. He has done it all for me. I can simply
be in His presence, knowing that He has my back, knowing that
He will accomplish all that He wishes in His time and His way.
Comments? Send
me an e-mail.
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