Be Still

 

In the daytime, our four-year-old Camila doesn't have much to say; her conversations are usually short and to the point. But as soon as the house settles into silence and it's about 9 pm - and the children are all tucked into bed, she becomes very talkative. It's like an endless floodgate of words begins to stream out. She has so much to say that she hardly lets me speak. I patiently wait for her to finish, and when she finally runs out of things to say, she suddenly announces, “Okay, I’m tired.  I’m going to sleep now.”  It didn't even occur to her that I might have had something to say.

The exact same thing occurs when we settle down in quiet to spend quality time with God.  Suddenly, a flood of distracting thoughts overwhelms the mind.  I, for instance, will suddenly remember the appointment I was supposed to schedule, the text message I forgot to respond to, or the oven I forgot to shut off. Even when we begin with prayer, our minds can fill with even more thoughts we want to share with God. Like Camila, we can get so distracted that we don't even hear what God might want to tell us.  

I've learned it takes time for the mind to be still and empty out all of its thought reserves. I have to patiently wait until my inner voice literally stops talking. Only then can I intentionally focus and give my full attention to prayer and the scriptures. Only then does that open the door for me to hear with my heart the small, still voice of the Holy Spirit.

Be still before the Lord, all mankind,...(Zec. 2:13)

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him: (Ps.37:7)

Be still and know that I am God…(Ps. 46:10)

“How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.” (John 1:48)