Guest blogger: Joe Barone - Be still and know that I am God
Today’s Pulse article is written by Joe Barone and is entitled “Be still and know that I am God.”
“Be still and know that I am God” is a familiar exhortation from Psalm 46:10. The privilege of coming into the presence of God to praise, confess, give thanks, and seek His wisdom and guidance is available to us 24/7. Not that we are available 24/7, but God is. We all have moments of opportunity and time throughout the day to present ourselves before the Creator, so there is really no excuse.
Spending time before God is not my biggest challenge; being completely still is. I find a quiet place in my prayer closet and get physically still, but my mind is far from it. A clutter of thoughts race through my mind. Thoughts of yesterday’s disappointments, today’s responsibilities, and tomorrow’s challenges obliterate any stillness. The distractions that Satan uses are relentless. What to do?
I temporarily interrupt my physical stillness, retrieve my Bible, and open it up to a Psalm. Let me use Psalm 100 (NIV) as an example:
Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.
Then I proceed to personalize that Psalm and pray through it. It is my guide and technique to keep my thoughts captive:
Dear Heavenly Father, I come before you with joy in my heart, to praise my Creator. You are the One who formed me, gifted me, forgave me yesterday, forgives me today, and will forgive me tomorrow. Thanks be to Jesus Christ, my Savior. I am blessed to be a sheep in your pasture, guided and protected by you from the evils that lurk around me.
As I come into your presence, I offer up my thanksgiving for the abundance of blessings you pour out to me, your unending faithfulness and help in times of struggle. Praise be to your enduring love that comforts and sustains me. You are good, gracious, and merciful. You know my concerns for my family and friends, their trials, distance from you. Be merciful to them. Guide them into your presence.
Oh, before I forget. Thank you for helping me keep my racing thoughts captive and helping me be still and know that you are my God. Amen.
How can you take time today to be still and know that He is God?
“Be still and know that I am God” is a familiar exhortation from Psalm 46:10. The privilege of coming into the presence of God to praise, confess, give thanks, and seek His wisdom and guidance is available to us 24/7. Not that we are available 24/7, but God is. We all have moments of opportunity and time throughout the day to present ourselves before the Creator, so there is really no excuse.
Spending time before God is not my biggest challenge; being completely still is. I find a quiet place in my prayer closet and get physically still, but my mind is far from it. A clutter of thoughts race through my mind. Thoughts of yesterday’s disappointments, today’s responsibilities, and tomorrow’s challenges obliterate any stillness. The distractions that Satan uses are relentless. What to do?
I temporarily interrupt my physical stillness, retrieve my Bible, and open it up to a Psalm. Let me use Psalm 100 (NIV) as an example:
Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.
Then I proceed to personalize that Psalm and pray through it. It is my guide and technique to keep my thoughts captive:
Dear Heavenly Father, I come before you with joy in my heart, to praise my Creator. You are the One who formed me, gifted me, forgave me yesterday, forgives me today, and will forgive me tomorrow. Thanks be to Jesus Christ, my Savior. I am blessed to be a sheep in your pasture, guided and protected by you from the evils that lurk around me.
As I come into your presence, I offer up my thanksgiving for the abundance of blessings you pour out to me, your unending faithfulness and help in times of struggle. Praise be to your enduring love that comforts and sustains me. You are good, gracious, and merciful. You know my concerns for my family and friends, their trials, distance from you. Be merciful to them. Guide them into your presence.
Oh, before I forget. Thank you for helping me keep my racing thoughts captive and helping me be still and know that you are my God. Amen.
How can you take time today to be still and know that He is God?
Posted in God\\\'s presence, Prayer
Posted in Be still and know that I am God, Prayer, God\\\'s presence
Posted in Be still and know that I am God, Prayer, God\\\'s presence
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