Be Still

   Be Still

  “Be still, and know that I am God.
   I will be exalted among the nations,
   I will be exalted in the earth!”
(Psalm 46:10)    
 
Once there was an old man who took his grandson a walk in the countryside. The old man's face was creased with wrinkles. Like the rings inside an ancient log tree, each signified age and wisdom. The man, to the boys surprise stopped suddenly. He was calm, so calm the boy didn't feel it right to interrupt this moment of solititude. 'Listen', the old man said. The boy listened. At first he could hear nothing but his own racing thoughts. 'Truly listen', the man said sensing the boys difficulty. So he tried again. He closed his eyes, took a breath and opened them again. 'I hear it', he whispered. They both fell silent again and listened to the gentle winds and the birds in the trees, and further a field the beautiful sound of a babbling brook. Then they listened to silence itself. 'This my child is real worship.' 'To Jesus?' 'To Jesus.'

From a Scream to a Whisper

There is a scream way down deep in my heart and soul. 
A primitive scream of mourning, anger and pain. 
A scream that should it erupt would shatter worlds. 
A scream that if possible would awaken the ancestors and echo into the generations. 
A scream that would make demons tremble and angels take notice. 
It is not my scream alone, but a scream of collective force.  
Fires and floods ravaged the years. 
War and racial tension shook the earth.  
Childish leaders oppressed the innocent and child like. 
The species drained the earth of life and resources.  
Disease and pestilence attacked the species. 'A pale horse and the one who rides on it is death and hell follows with him.'  
What can hold back such a scream? 
In my minds eye I see an empty old rugged cross, an empty tomb, creation groaning in birth pains, hope even in the darkness.  
In my minds eye the scream becomes a whisper,
"Be still all peoples, be still creation, be still my soul, be still and know that He is God."

The Still Small Voice

"And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake:
And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice." - 1 Kings 19:10,11

God was in the still small voice.

In my travels I have encountered worship styles that are so varied. Lately I have been thinking of the loud nature of much worship in contemporary churches (both preaching and song). Whilst not being opposed to this style I have found that at times it has been draining. It may be my inner introvert or it may simply just be that the season of loud is over for me at this time. Either way it seems that my heart yearns for the calm, the gentle, the peaceful. It reminds me of verses in Kings that speak of Elijah seeking God.

In summary:
The winds came.
God was not in that wind.
The earth shook.
God was not in that shaking.
The fire came.
God was not in that fire.
God was in the still small voice.

Still Waters (Some thoughts from 2023 as we entered a post-pandemic world)

One of my favourite verses of recent years has been "Be Still and Know that I Am God." Although it doesn't specifically mention silence, I sense that it may be implied. How can we hear from God if we never close our mouths, if we never close out the noise of life, if we never even Sabbath for a few minutes?   We used to joke that lockdowns were a bit like a month of Sabbaths (more like years!). However, home life is not very silent in general, let alone when it was lockdowns. I would not change that for the world. I love my wee family, and they deserve a father or husband who gives them good attention. There is also now a demand for TV from our kids (which, as Wilkerson put, it can seem like a sewer running through your living room, I wonder what that makes smart phones for us adults!) Then my job as a support worker was hardly silent and certainly not that of calm solitude at times, equally so with my new job as an ASN Outdoor Learning Assistant. Care was an essential role, and I am grateful to God that I had the provision of a job in such uncertain times. The opportunity to be a keyworker was both anxiety inducing and, at the same time, an honour.  I'm also glad about the new job and opportunity to venture into a slightly different direction. The church we go to is fairly upbeat, like others of recent years. These churches can even master liveliness whilst they were online. I love lively Christianity as it is very in keeping with the word Hallelujah, which my wife often reminds me means effectively to make a loud shout unto the Lord. So, again, I am grateful for the style of churches we frequent. However, I also deeply love the still, the calm, the silence. This is the place where I find God best as a contemplative, socially anxious, and introverted sort. In a fast-paced, loud world, finding time for silence is a worthwhile challenge. I pray God guides me and all who thirst for it to his still waters.   Come apart to dwell with him. Draw nigh to Him, and He will draw nigh to you. Even if only for one minute at a time, take moments to be still and know Him as God.