Be Still and Know That I Am God

"Be still and know that I am God." What does it mean? How do we do it? At first, it seems like a very simple, straight-forward message:  Be still and know that I am God. But I have discovered that it is not that easy to implement in my life, and I have a feeling many of you share that experience.

First, it's not easy to simply be still, is it? We live in a world that seems to be in perpetual motion. All of us have more to do than we ever get done. It is not in vogue to "be still.” Successful people aren't viewed as people who are "still.” Rather, they are people who are active. We have this idea that if we're not doing something, we're not being productive.

Those of us who are parents remember how often we would have given anything if our children would just be still! All that energy—constant movement! And when they're moving all the time, you can't communicate to them, they don't listen and you find it difficult to concentrate. How many times have you taken your child's shoulders, looked them in the eyes, and said, "Julie, please, be still!” You feel as though you cannot get anywhere with them until they simply stop.

God, our Father, says the same thing to us. "Be still. Stop!” Stop walking, stop running, stop moving—just stop!” The first hurdle we face is to get our bodies to be still, to literally stop moving, and for most of us that does not come easy.

I have learned that I must plan this "still" time in my day. It has to be designated, and I must give it the highest priority. For me, it has to be early in my day, before my mind is cluttered and my concentration is divided. And it's very helpful to me to have a certain place which I think of as my "still" place. That one spot in my home that is more or less reserved for my time with God.

But I can get up early and get my body into that "still" place and discover that I'm still not "still.” Now the battle really begins for me. My mind starts going a mile a minute. If I allow myself to think about the schedule for the day, there is no stillness in that time. It's easy to lose my concentration on the purpose of this "still" time, and even though the body is in the right place, I'm not still before God.

In order to be still before God, I have to have that inner focus which screens out all external thoughts and concerns, which centers on God and God alone, which brings me into that place where he is for that time my whole universe and no extraneous or conflicting information is allowed to interfere.

I have sat for an hour or more in bodily stillness, but without inner stillness before God. How can I get to the place where I can be truly still before God, so that I am completely swallowed up with his presence and his reality, and nothing interferes with it? Frankly, I don't think it's easy for any of us, and I don't think it ever will be. Our three enemies, the world, the flesh and the devil, are all out to break up this quiet inner stillness, and a spiritual war wages when we sit down to be still before God.

Here are some things that I have found helpful. First, I begin by praying for inner concentration, by claiming the blood of Christ as protection, by putting on the helmet of salvation to keep my mind from wandering.

Singing can help me "be still" before the Lord, so at times I sing a hymn or chorus which focuses on God. Our pastor once suggested that you keep a pad and pencil nearby, and when your mind starts to wander, thinking of what you have to do, etc., just quickly make a note to remind yourself later on, and then you can go back to your meditation time. And then, simply be prepared to stay with it no matter how much your mind wanders. Each time it starts, quickly re-focus and start again if necessary.

I find it takes time. I just can't dash in and out, like I do at the supermarket, get what I need and run.