Be still and know

I have read Psalm 46:10 many times in my life and it has always been a favorite verse of mine. It says "Be still, and know that I am God." I have to admit that the past couple of weeks have given this verse new meaning in my life. We have been "homebound" for a couple of weeks as snow continues to fall and, even though at times we have been a little stir crazy, overall it has been a refreshing time for our family. It has given us a chance to reconnect with one another in a meaningful way...a way that is not often possible in the fast paced world we live in. In addition to what it has meant for our family though, it has also been significant for me personally. I think sometimes, in this fast paced world, the way we try to connect to God spiritually is by "doing"...by studying Scriptures, attending Bible studies, serving, etc. All of these things are great and even necessary to grow spiritually but sometimes we need to just sit and allow God to speak to us. Have you ever just sat in the stillness before God and allowed him to pour Himself over you, giving you a glimpse into who He is?

During this time, Tim and I also began reading a book together titled "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan. It has been recommended to us many times and we decided that it would be a good book for us to read and discuss together (something that we started when we were first married). We are not far into the book yet but something the author wrote in the Preface really jumped out at me. This is what it says:

"We see Him (God) as a benevolent Being who is satisfied when people manage to fit Him into their lives in some small way. We forget that God never had an identity crisis. He knows that He's great and deserves to be the center of our lives. Jesus came humbly as a servant, but He never begs us to give Him some small part of ourselves. He commands everything from His followers."

I agree wholeheartedly with this statement. Is God benevolent? Absolutely! Did Jesus come humbly to serve others? Yes! Ultimately though, He is God and is the ONLY thing worthy of our praise and worship. It has been over the past couple of weeks that He has graciously reminded me of this, through my "being still". He doesn't want a part of my life, He wants absolutely every bit of it. Not because He is unjustly selfish, but because He knows He is the ONLY thing that can satisfy my soul!

I pray that as we begin the new year, we would each experience the fullness of Christ in an all-consuming way...simply by being still before Him.