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Friday, July 25, 2014

God is our fortress: "Be still and know that I am God"


Read Psalm 46:1-11

Be still and know that I am God… How often do we find ourselves in an isolated place or anywhere where we are able to be still and know who God is, hear His voice, and give over all of our worries, our burdens, our stress, our agendas, etc? In all honesty in this world, it’s hard to do just that since we are so used to always being on the move that we forget to just be still and know who God is. If we truly knew who God was then we wouldn’t be overwhelmed and wondering what was next and how things would get done, we wouldn’t be stressed, frustrated, and overwhelmed since God is waiting to give us peace since He is peace and He is the one that has mapped out our day, our week, the month, year, our lives so why not step back and just be still and know who God is and experience His peace and listen to His voice?

It’s easy to get caught up in the day to day tasks that we forget to slow down and appreciate who God is and everything around us. If you’re like me then you long to find yourself in a solitude place in nature (near water, in the mountains, near a beach, in a rain forest, etc) I long for that because that’s where I feel closest to God. It’s there in nature that I can find myself relaxing and in a state of mind where I can be still and know who God is, the creator of everything.

That’s what I appreciate about the Hispanic culture, in Costa Rica they have a saying that is “Pura Vida” which is the answer for everything but also resembles how the culture lives in the moment and are not in a hurry. They say Pura Vida all the time which means pure life but even more so it means all is good and nothing is bad. Even when things may not be going as expected, the answer is still Pura Vida. It’s a reminder that we need to step back and reflect on what is and be still so we can truly know who God is and what He is doing.

I’ve had to reflect on this thought of stepping back and reflecting on my life as I was reminded by all the other young adult missionaries in my class that it was a year ago this past Wednesday that we embarked in the ministry journey together bit the thing is while reflecting, I realize that I have been in the position where I was warned about by my collegiate ministry. I have been human and looking forward rather than in the moment which results in overlooking who God is, why He has me here, and what He is doing.

Be still and know that I am God. We all need to find our place where we can step back and slow down so that we can be still and know who God is, what He is doing in our lives, in our ministries, and all around us. For me, it’s anywhere in nature or lately when I am running and doing a race but for you it may be something else so I ask, where does God want you to retreat to in order to be still and know that He is God?

In a world that is always changing and always fast pace, it’s hard to find ourselves able to be still and know that God is who He is but it’s a way of living that we all need to incorporate more into our walk with God since if we keep neglecting being still and being with God to know and see what He is doing then we will find ourselves drained, exhausted, tired, and ultimately not able to do what God has called us to do and be His light and hope to the broken world or more specifically to the broken parts of Dallas. So, where is your place of solitude and have you visited it lately or are you going with the fast pace flow of the world and overlooking the peace that God wants for all of us to have, a peace in knowing who He is and knowing that He has all things already worked out for us so there’s no need to worry.

I know I often overlook being still since I would rather be busy but God asks us to go against how this world operates and calls us to be still and know Him more, be in-synced with His plan for us, and be refreshed for whatever may come our way.

So, find your Costa Rica and slow down so you can hear God’s voice rather than the voice of this world and society.

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