The Word tells us, "Be still, and know that I am God!" (Psalms 46:10) It sounds easy enough. Experiencing stillness and finding silence does not seem like such a difficult task until we start moving in that direction. What makes it so difficult is the competition. We can choose to turn off the noise makers, the attention getters, and the things that intrude into the present moment, but these things are like a kind of addiction. We may lay them aside for a moment, but unless we know the deep stillness in our heart, these things will once again regain control of who we are.
When the Word calls us to "Be still," it is speaking not so much of turning off the external stuff as it is speaking of learning to experience and know holy presence midst all the confusing chaos of life. After Elijah had his great moment on the mountain, fear overcomes him and he runs to a mountain hiding place. Once there he is told to get ready for the Lord is about to pass by. As he stands at the mouth of a cave, he experiences a great wind, the sound of breaking rocks, the roaring fire, and then "a sound of sheer silence." (I Kings 19:12) With the sounds of turmoil gone, the sound of sheer silence came and with it came the Word of God for that moment in his life.
Most of us cannot go to a cave, or to a desert, or to a monastery, or to some place where silence will surely surround us, but the stillness spoken of in the Psalm is not made of external stuff, but a product of the Holy Spirit being allowed to roam and rule in our heart. The stillness that enables us to know God is one given to us as a blessing of the Holy Spirit. It cannot be manufactured. There is no on and off switch which we can push. It is a gift which comes to us from the Spirit and one which creates in us a heart readied for the holy presence of God.
When the Word calls us to "Be still," it is speaking not so much of turning off the external stuff as it is speaking of learning to experience and know holy presence midst all the confusing chaos of life. After Elijah had his great moment on the mountain, fear overcomes him and he runs to a mountain hiding place. Once there he is told to get ready for the Lord is about to pass by. As he stands at the mouth of a cave, he experiences a great wind, the sound of breaking rocks, the roaring fire, and then "a sound of sheer silence." (I Kings 19:12) With the sounds of turmoil gone, the sound of sheer silence came and with it came the Word of God for that moment in his life.
Most of us cannot go to a cave, or to a desert, or to a monastery, or to some place where silence will surely surround us, but the stillness spoken of in the Psalm is not made of external stuff, but a product of the Holy Spirit being allowed to roam and rule in our heart. The stillness that enables us to know God is one given to us as a blessing of the Holy Spirit. It cannot be manufactured. There is no on and off switch which we can push. It is a gift which comes to us from the Spirit and one which creates in us a heart readied for the holy presence of God.
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