Be still and know that He is God

“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. (Psalm 46:10-11)

If you are anything like me, your life can quickly become pretty undisciplined if you’re not vigilant. All of my best intentions and carefully chosen habits can suddenly get flattened by the tidal wave of life when I lose focus. My diet turns into chips and ice cream, my bed time careens past midnight, and life begins to feel like a chaotic mess.

It has become more and more apparent to me that the remedy to the chaos begins with silence, with heeding God’s invitation in Psalm 46:10 to “be still, and know that I am God.” Thanks to smartphones and earbuds, life has become increasingly noisy, and I have become increasingly distracted. I am in constant information overload, as the staggering number of websites, podcasts, songs, news sources, videos, and shows lures me into its cacophonous trap. But to paraphrase Jesus, “what good is it if you can access all the information and entertainment in the world and yet forfeit your soul?”

As the world get noisier, the call of God to “be still” becomes more counter-cultural and beautiful. Consider: What would it look like to start your day in silence with God instead of staring at your phone? How might you be different if you turned everything off in the car and just spent time with God? What if you took a walk outside without your phone, or sat in the park, or looked up at the stars? You might just find that you have given up very little of value, but have gained something very profound in the process.

You were created to enjoy a relationship with God. Filling your life with noise and avoiding silence drowns out that critical part of your life and will eventually starve your soul. Cultivate the discipline of stillness in your life, and know that He is God.