One
major goal I have in my life is to live in the awareness of God’s presence. It
is one thing that I regularly ask Him for and about. Lately, He has been
telling me that the key to awareness is stillness. I have heard the scripture, “Be
still and know that I am God” so many times but never really grasped the
practical application of it. I would often interpret this to mean I should
cease from talking and try to make my mind blank and just know that He was
God. But I have learned to think of it
much more as Psalm 131 describes:
“Lord, my heart
is not haughty, nor my eyes lofty; neither do I exercise myself in matters too
great or in things too wonderful for me. Surely I have calmed and quieted my
soul; like a weaned child with his mother, like a weaned child is my soul
within me [ceased from fretting]. O Israel, hope in the Lord from this time
forth and forever.”
I have meditated
a lot on this short chapter. And God has shown me that one of my biggest
interruptions from commune with Him has been an overactive mind. My mind can
race a thousand different ways in a short amount of time if allowed and will
leave me little time to be still and be aware that God is here right now, right
in this moment. And never more so than when I’m trying to figure out a problem.
I can reason things out in my mind until I make myself nearly ill. And that is
how I apply the first verse of this chapter;
“Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor my eyes
lofty; neither do I exercise myself in matters too great or in things too
wonderful for me.”
I cease from
reasoning. I cease from trying to figure everything out on my own and know that
God alone is God and He is the One who has it figured out. It’s too lofty and
too wonderful for me and I must not be so haughty and of full of pride as to
think I can figure it out on my own. In this area too I must be still.
Another obstacle
has been my emotions; bad ones such as feelings of anxiety or fear. And even
good emotions unbalanced can cause your mind to be so busy that you don’t hear
God such as excitement, anticipation, etc.
“Surely I have calmed and quieted my
soul; like a weaned child with his mother, like a weaned child is my soul
within me [ceased from fretting].”
So I am learning,
that when my emotions are raging to take a moment to calm and quiet my soul.
How? The best way I have found is through prayer, thanksgiving and trust.
“O Israel, hope in the Lord from this
time forth and forever.”
I place my hope
in God because I trust Him. I know His character, I know His love and I assuredly
know His goodness. And so I pray.
Phillipans 4:6-7
says this;
“Do not fret or
have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in
everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving,
continue to make your wants known to God. And
God’s peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its
salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content
with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all
understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds
in Christ Jesus.” (bold mine)
I must pray, I
must thank God and then I must trust. I must trust in His goodness, His wisdom,
His sovereignty and His love. It’s simple, not always easy, but always doable
when I ask God for help and do it through Christ Jesus. So even when I am hurt
I remind myself that God loves me, and I trust Him that He is working
everything into something good in my life because He has told me He is.
My challenge
today is from 1 Peter 3:3-4
“Let
not yours be the [merely] external adorning with [elaborate] interweaving and
knotting of the hair, the wearing of jewelry, or changes of clothes; But let it
be the inward adorning and beauty of the hidden person of the heart,
with the incorruptible and unfading charm of a gentle and peaceful
spirit, which [is not anxious or wrought up, but] is very precious in the sight
of God.”
I
am challenged to be still in every situation and know that He is God.
This is great! And something I TRULY could benefit from. Sheesh. My mind is to out of control. Something to definately apply to meditation and prayer. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you were able to get something out of it. It's a daily, hourly, minutely, challenge for me for sure. :)
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