Be Still and Know

"Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10).

How do you sit still in a world that is always running at full speed? Nevertheless, in order to truly know God, inward stillness is absolutely necessary. When emergencies arise my first instinct is flight. Every part of my being throbs with anxiety, and yet circumstances are usually out of my control.

Sit still for more than a second and you will hear God's still small voice say, "Be still, and know that I am God." There is a perfect passivity which is not indolence. It is a living stillness born of faith and trust in our almighty God. Quiet tension is not trust. It is simply compressed anxiety.

Not in the tumult of the rending storm,

Not in the earthquake or devouring flame;

But in the hush that could all fear transform,

The still, small whisper to the prophet came.

O Soul, keep silence on the mount of God,

Though cares and needs throb around like a sea;

From supplications and desires unshod,

Be still, and hear what God shall say to thee.

All fellowship hath interludes of rest,

New strength maturing in each poise of power;

The sweetest Alleluias of the blest

Are silent, for the space of half an hour.

O rest, in utter quietude of soul,

Abandon words, leave prayer and praise awhile;

Let thy whole being, hushed in His control,

Learn the full meaning of His voice and smile.

Not as an athlete wrestling for a crown,

Not taking Heaven by violence of will;

But with thy Father as a child sit down,

And know the bliss that follows his "Be Still!"

-Mary Rowles Jarvis

*picture from our vacation: Fernandina Beach, Florida, sunset