Be Still and Know

Opportunities for being still in our lives are endless. You might think that is a laughable notion or statement when you look around at your present circumstance or life; however, do not tune me out just yet. Let us stop and consider this for just a moment together. The statement is not meant to be a joke or to downplay anyone’s busy life or hectic schedule as not being real, or just something in your mind. I have had to live in this rat race we call life just as much as the next person, so I fully understand.

I have been involved in ministry for over forty years with thirty of those being in positions where I had to wear so many hats at once, that I felt more like a hat rack than a living breathing person. Yes, we can all get caught just going through the motions of life if we do not take the time to ‘be still and know.’ I have also been married for over forty years, and have raised four beautiful daughters within that time, and now have four beautiful grandchildren with two on the way. Yes, it can be a lot.

I just recently mentioned to my husband that I needed the plaque that my mother used to have on her desk, plastered to my forehead, which said, “I’m so far behind, I thought I was first.” If you have ever watched NASCAR, you may understand this better, because not everyone that passes the finish line on the last lap is the winner. There may be those who are several laps behind, just trying to catch up, when the one who is really in the lead comes across the finish line right behind them and takes the win. We can fall into a rut where we feel like we are just going around in circles, so much so, that we can lose track of where we are, who we are, and where we are going.

You have heard the expression, “I’ve been running around like a chicken with it’s head cut off.” When I was little, my dad used to kill chickens by wringing their necks, for my mom to pluck and fry for Sunday dinner. After the neck was wrung, he would set the chicken back down on the ground, and it would literally begin to run around the yard sporadically, until the nervous system died, then it would just plop down! Yes, it was dead, but its body was still in a frenzied state. This is indeed a real thing; however, remember if you use this statement regarding your own life, that the chicken was indeed dead, and had no control over its movements, destination, or life. It did indeed end up in the frying pan.

It is easy to get into a downward spiraling motion if we do not take time to stop, ‘be still and know’, take account of, and realize our surroundings, our destination, our purpose, and our goals for our life or for any given day or event.  Years ago, my husband and I would often marvel at the fact that the more tired our children became, the more hyper they would be. They would also begin to spin faster by the minute, like a top let loose on a smooth hard wood floor, until they crashed, and would then have to be carried to their beds. If we were out, and had to drive home, they would zonk out the minute they got into the car. This can be disappointing to parents if the day is still young and you might have wanted them to take a nap at home or go to bed early, but it is just the nature of the beast. They would then wake up after the ride with renewed vigor and the process began again.

When we as adults are in constant ‘go full speed’ mode, which often happens without us even knowing, we will become drained physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually very quickly, which makes it much easier to crash. We get burned out and things begin to fall apart around us. Like pulling the lose thread that you see dangling from your hem, and before you know it the whole hem is out. It is far better to stop, get the clippers or scissors out and clip the thread off, even if it is only a temporary fix. By doing this, hypothetically speaking, you can at least be left with some dignity intact, and make it through your day, week, month, or year.

As you sit there thinking, “I just do not have a moment to spare to myself, much less time to stop and ‘be still and know’”, I would counter with, “You might be surprised!”  Given our busy lifestyles, it would not be logical to even suggest that I am referring to stopping in your tracks, being completely motionless, immobile, or even secluded for a time every day, though these times are greatly beneficial and spoken of in scripture. Matthew 6:6 says, “But thou, when you pray, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which sees in secret shall reward thee openly.” Psalm 91:1 tells us, “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High, shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.”  Boy, a secret place sure does sound wonderful right about now!

We are complex creatures, and every aspect of our being is intertwined, and will therefore affect the other either positively or negatively. I want to introduce you to ‘be still and know’ moments that you can have emotionally, mentally, and spiritually, during your hectic days which will also benefit you physically. I was reminded this week while traveling for work that we do indeed have those moments throughout the day to ‘be still and know’ that can make an enormous difference in our attitudes, outlooks, and lives in general.

When I arrived at the hotel for my work week, as I checked in and was given my room number, I noticed I was on the sixth floor. I am a little scared of heights; however, I am normally okay when I am in a building if I do not get too close to the windows. I noticed on my daily treks to breakfast and back, then again, in and out of the building going to work and back, while in the elevator, I was alone on most occasions. I began to take deep breaths, and have a few calming, relaxing moments, on my upward or downward journey. I began to whisper a thanksgiving to the Lord for the beautiful day, or a prayer for protection and inspiration in the day ahead of me. When I arrived at my office, I had to take the elevator up and down several times a day there as well. I began to savor those silent, golden moments. This made me think of all the other opportunities that we really have in our lives to do the same, wherever we may find ourselves. Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.”

My life may be a little different than yours; however, here are a few situations that I thought of, where you could take deep breaths, stop and reflect on a good memory during the day, and think about the goodness of God, or reassess the remainder of the day or week. I have heard a lot of folks attest to the fact that when they drive their vehicle, especially when they are alone, they can think about what has been, what may be coming up, or pray and meditate upon the word of the Lord. They listen to music that speaks to their soul or a podcast that they enjoy that may be uplifting or educational. They might make some calls to loved ones that they have not been able to talk to for a while. Telling others that you love them can be as rewarding to you as it is the recipient. Yes, we are in motion, physically. We are having to get somewhere, but we can ‘be still and know’ and enjoy the ride and alone time.

Now, what about those restroom breaks? Yes, though they may be very quick, they might be a time to sneak in a few deep breaths and be able to enter back into your meeting or situation, renewed more than just physically, but mentally and emotionally also. It does not take more than a split second for the Lord to hear your cry for help, or your praise. Why is it that restrooms often have magazines in them? Because they know that this is a place where folks may have to stop and rest for a while. Thus, the name, restrooms. We should take advantage of these moments. You have heard the statement. “Kill two birds with one stone.” This is an excellent opportunity to do just that.

At an office I used to work in, they had a printer that was ‘as slow as molasses.’ You would have to key in your code to retrieve the documents you had sent to the printer, and it had an extremely long ‘thinking’ period, or did it? Is it just because we are so impatient, or in such a hurry all the time that we thought it was slow? I used to say to everyone standing in the cue to get their documents, “We need to put a vase here with a rose in it, so we can say that we stopped to smell the roses.” You still had to wait whether you were glad or mad, whether you had a good attitude or bad, so this would have been far preferred over being angry because we had to wait ten seconds longer than we thought we should. Speaking of roses, if you have a garden, have you thought of taking a minute out of your day to go and enjoy your flowers? Or do you take a moment to appreciate God’s beautiful creation on your ride into work? The are ‘be still and know’ moments that you could be missing. The ‘rat race’ will go on with or without you for those few moments you take to ‘be still and know.’ 

Another ‘be still and know’ idea is meal times. These times are inevitable whether you are alone or not. Breakfast can be used to reflect the plans for the day ahead, while lunch time can be used to take a power nap, or read, or listen to scripture, or an inspirational book on tape, with supper time wrapping it all up with a beautiful bow of gratitude for the day everyone had. It is a time of sharing as well as trouble shooting. We do not always have perfect days, but looking back on the fails, can allow us to learn what to do differently the next time. These times are especially important if we have children. We should put aside our cell phones and teach them to do the same by our example. Teach them how to have ‘be still and know’ moments in their lives.

Teach your children how to communicate and have meaningful conversations. Take a walk with them literally, or just down memory lane, and enjoy them while they are still with you. This will build a bond of love and trust that cannot be broken by the trials of life that come our way. Teach them faith by showing them that you have things under control, because you have put your trust in the Almighty God who is in control. Deuteronomy 6:4-9 tells us, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.”  

You will be pleasantly surprised how much you will benefit from this experience as well as your family. In a world that is technologically driven, we are seeing more people, young and old, being diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD). It is rampant. There are always so many devices going all at one time, with them all doing a different function. It is no wonder that no one can focus on a task long enough to finish anything. I think that if we were to stop and have ‘be still and know’ moments more often and allow our minds to be quite we would see those numbers decrease.

We should allow our children to go outside and play! Pick up sticks, play with worms, wade in the creek, make mud pies, climb trees, and everything that goes along with it, without a cellphone in their hand. These are ‘be still and know’ moments for them. They are guaranteed to fall asleep faster after an afternoon of exploring in the yard or playing on the playground, than being in the house on the couch. They will also have peace of mind, that ‘be still and know’ moments bring.

Jesus is always the one we turn to as the Supreme example of how we should live our lives, so let us look at a few things in his life related to our subject. The word multitude(s) is mentioned in the New Testament one hundred and twenty-eight times. We know from the miracle accounts that Jesus was continually being followed and thronged by crowds of people day in and day out. He showed compassion to all who sought him for any need, whether it was a physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual need. Though it would have been easy for him to get annoyed, frustrated, and even claustrophobic when being pushed and shoved around, there was a secret to his physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing and demeanor living as a human on this earth as we are.

We can read about it in the scriptures. Mark 1:35 says, “And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.”  Luke 5:16 says, “And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed.” Luke 6:12 tells us, “And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.” Mark 6:31-32 says, “And he said unto them, come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat. And they departed into a desert place by ship privately.” These are just a few; however, if you read the complete context of these, you will see that after he spent time alone, resting or in prayer, having a ‘be still and know’ moment, he then went out and did more great things. As we read in that last verse, he called his disciples to also ‘get away’ from the crowds for a while to rest, eat, and fellowship.

In Matthew 8, we read about him being asleep in the boat when the storm hit on the Sea of Galilee. So many try to turn this story into some sort of mystery; however, he was merely taking a nap because he was exhausted. Sometimes we just need a good old fashioned nap to make it through the day. Not everything has to be done at once, nor does your extensive list of ‘to-dos’ have to be completed in one setting. Your chores will be waiting for you and regular chores you will have with you always, until the end of time.

Just as the body cannot function without food, water, and air, indefinitely, in the same token, caring for our spiritual being, is essential. Taking time to pray, read and meditate upon the word of God, and rest in the ‘be still and know’ moments that we can grab in our day, is key to our psychological, emotional, mental, and spiritual wellbeing. Without proper care, we become lethargic, discombobulated, and become incapable of focusing. Irritation and anxiety set in, and things can go downhill fast from there. In my current job, they strongly promote health and wellness moments and even provide short meditation or yoga sessions that we can do during our work day. We should take advantage of these, because they will promote our productivity not only at work but at home as well.

A ‘be still and know moment’ may be simple and short but can be quite effective. I am not trying to propose something unrealistic. I know we do not always have the money or time to take a full Spa Day or even a spa treatment; however, we can have a few medicinal moments with the Lord each day that can revive and renew our spirits. Philippians 4:6-7 tells us, “Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

We have all been given the same amount of time each day, but how we choose to use that time will be what will determine the dividends we will reap. An elevator ride, a stop at the printer, the ride to work, folding laundry, doing chores, meal times, a five minute walk in the garden, or whatever your ‘be still and know’ moments may be in your life, will render a huge payoff in the end. We must learn to trust in the Lord. He cares for us and is in control! When we take the time to take a deep breath moment specifically and intentionally, or whisper a prayer of thanksgiving to him, he feels us placing everything into his hands. The drama, chaos, and panic will melt away, and you will ‘know that He is God!’

Isaiah 28:12 stated of the promise of the Holy Spirit, “This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing.” Psalms 16:11 says, “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” And once again we see in Isaiah 26:3,” Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusts in thee.”  We do not have to come to a complete full stop to spend a moment in his presence and have peace. He will meet you wherever you are. You just need to breathe his name. Give my ‘be still and know’ moment theory a try today! You might be pleasantly surprised.