God Speaking

“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

(Psalm 46: 10)

Last week I had to present myself at our local hospital for a series of tests for my heart. I was not looking forward to them at all as two of them involved entering a dome of moving cameras and the last instructions from the radiologist were, “You must lie completely still and not move at all for the 13 minutes it takes for the test to be finished.”  Usually if I am told to be still the first thing that happens is that I have an urgent need to wipe some imaginary thing off my face. I was dreading the test. On the morning of the test, my husband opened the Bible study we read together every morning, and this was the title;

Be Still

The study was on Psalm 46 and as my husband read out the beautiful words I felt the Lord was talking directly to me. I felt he knew my fears and was reminding me of who I could lean on that day.

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46: 1)

As I lay with the machine moving around me, I kept repeating that verse and I could lie still when I acknowledged I did truly know the God who is in complete control of the whole universe. 

“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.” (Psalm 46: 2 – 3)

Apart from being still for a medical test, being still is good advice for all of us who can get caught up in the busy stress filled life that seems to be the norm for many. We forget that we need to spend some time of every day being still before the Lord, so we can hear his voice. If we are frantically on the move every day our souls, that inner part of us, will not be able to be soothed, restored and strengthened.

“My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.” (Psalm 62 1 – 2)

Frequently, when Jesus was on earth, he would slip away from the crowds to be alone with the Father as he knew how important it was to rest awhile and be still. He now offers us that beautiful respite in these words; 

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11: 28)

I am praying that I will remember the wonderful example of listening to the Lord and being able to be still during a stressful day that I experienced this week.