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
This week my little world was shaken up as we transitioned our 2-year old twins to toddler beds. To top it off, they started teething again and decided that napping was not necessary. This threw me for a loop as I lost my ‘me time’, my ‘down time’, my ‘be still’ time. I thought these two precious hours were stolen from me. How would I get them back? The irony with this new change meant I had to once again sleep train them. I literally had to sit in between their beds coaxing them to nap and sleep at night too. I was getting exhausted from ‘forcing’ them to sleep, rather than training them to sleep. My commands to ‘lie down’ seemed to be an ineffective refrain.
Just as I felt at the end of my emotional rope, God came to my rescue. This Sunday morning, He threw me a life preserve with a verse from the Psalms. After coaxing a teething child back to sleep at 5am, I decided against going back to bed but instead to sit and savor God’s word. My soul really needed to be refreshed from the past week’s sleep fiasco.
In this verse, the ‘Be Still’ in Hebrew is Raphah which means to cease, relax, slow down, let drop or sink. I can imagine David’s gratefulness when he realized this in his own life. He could finally stop running. After reading this verse, I sank in His arms. I felt God saying to me, “just ‘lie down’ and cease being uptight in this new season with your twins.” I knew then as I continue to remind myself, I need to cherish this season and relax in it. I definitely got more prayer time lying between their beds. I was ‘more still’.
This revelation of knowing God in my stillness comes when I see the end of myself and rely on Him. When I cease striving and rest in Him – allowing His Spirit and truth to wash over me like the morning light. When I stop – I can see things and not just watch them fly by. A dear mentor once shared with me the secret to her fulfilled life, “I don’t think that I have done anything great, but I have been able to enjoy each moment and season of life instead of watching it to go by.”
Our stillness can help us be present and see God at work. Now I try to switch my ‘be still’ time in the morning or whenever I can capture a quiet moment. I try to see God in the morning light!
When God is in my midst and I know Him – His morning light illuminates my path and direction for the day. Carpe diem. Be still and know.
Be Still
Cease Striving. Be Present. Know Him.
How can I see and know more of God in my stillness?
Photo credit: Catherine Wong
Do you see anything in the clouds? Comment below.