“Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10 NIV

You may have seen this scripture on a decorative sign in someone’s home, have it in your own home, or heard it repeated growing up in church.

People recite this scripture. Have seen or heard this scripture.

But. Do we do what this scripture says?

When are we still? When do we sit quietly and think about God?

In a world that is loud and on the move, always busy, always with something else to do, someplace else to go, we must make the time, take the time, to practice being still. We must quiet ourselves. Sit with our Creator. Be with God. Soak up His Presence.

We practice this. Practice being quiet. Practice driving our vehicles without the radio on. Practice making dinner without the TV on.

Why do we think we need noise all the time?

Are we afraid of the quiet? Or afraid of our thought in the quiet?

We can learn to sit quietly and/or work quietly. We can choose to create space for quiet which can/will open us up to hear God if we are paying attention.

I keep using the word practice because our minds will wander. That is what minds do, they think. It’s normal. We have the power to redirect our thinking. We can take our thoughts captive. We can renew our minds on Truth. We choose what we think.

I have found that as I send time quietly with God, whether it is while I am getting ready for work, or driving in my vehicle, or making dinner, or sitting still meditating, all these practices help me to remain calm in stressful situations, or quickly come back to calm when thrown into overwhelm by something that happens.

As I was thinking about practicing quiet, it reminded me of when my boys were young, maybe four years old, three, and two. (I probably started when my oldest was younger and the others joined in along the way.) We practiced being quiet. They could look at a book or hold a toy, but we would sit quietly. I think I started with a minute or two of quiet. Then we did five minutes of quiet and worked our way up to 10 minutes of quiet. I think we worked up to 20-30 minutes of quiet at home because I wanted them to have the skill to be quiet and calm if it was needed when we were out. This helped when we went to the store, or to church, or out to eat. They had developed the skill of sitting quietly so when I asked them to be quiet in any of these places while we were out, I wasn’t asking something unusual. They knew how to do it, we had practiced, and we all stayed calmer.

We can develop this skill too, at any age.

God didn’t tell us to be still and know that He is God just because He wanted to silence us. He wants us to know Him. And when we spend time in His Presence it changes us. When we soak up His Love and Peace and Joy and Hope and Confidence and Security, we become calmer, nicer people to interact with because we have been with God. There is a miracle and mystery to it.

And if you have children or grand-children or know a child, I highly recommend the Max Lucado book You are Special. In the book is a world in which people like to put stars and/or dots on others based on their performance or looks or talents or whatever. Spending time with our Creator gives us the resilience we need to not let those stars or dots stick because we know our worth and value are in what the God of the universe says about us not in what anyone else says or thinks.

Take a few moments today to be still and know that He is God.

Keep practicing!