Still

I came across Isaiah 30:15 (my verse for the year) while I was in Princeton for reunions, 

staying with my friend Rachel and her roommates. 

It's awesome that the Lord gives us little reminders to recenter when we need it!

So now that I am finally finished with my first semester of hospital rotations, the topic of rest has been on my mind (hrm...I wonder why?). I've written a little bit about returning and rest before, but I think it's a topic that can't be talked about enough!


For me, stillness is intimately connected with rest. I certainly don't feel rested when I'm running around trying to check off all of the items on my to-do list in not-enough time. Similarly, it's really hard for me to feel rested in the Lord if I don't set aside some time where I put away other distractions (oh hey email, Facebook, and jcrew.com), and spend some quiet, still time in His presence. 


Some of my favorite verses on stillness come from Psalm 46. I actually have 46:10 written out on a sign by my bed that was given to me by a camp counselor way back in the day (little did she know how useful those words would be to someone who thrives on business like I do!). It's amazing how the Lord provides us with what we need before we even know we need it.

God is our refuge and strength, 

 an ever-present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way

 and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

though its waters roar and foam  

and the mountains quake with their surging.

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, 

the holy place where the Most High dwells.

God is within her, she will not fall;

 God will help her at break of day.

Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall, 

he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

The Lord Almighty is with us; 

the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Come and see what the Lord has done, 

the desolations he has brought on the earth.

He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth.
 

He breaks the bow and shatters the spear 

he burns the shields with fire.

He says, “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

Some thoughts about these verses:

-I love that from the get-go, the psalmist contrasts protection and rest in God's strength with anxiety-provoking events and trouble - it's nice to know that even thousands of years ago, finding rest in the Lord was a struggle. I also like that the troubles described aren't little things - they're pretty terrifying catastrophes (definitely helps me put my troubles in perspective!)

-I love that the psalmist gives us a few concrete characteristics of the Lord to help us find rest, mainly His power and His presence. The Lord's mere voice is powerful enough to resolve these troubles and make wars cease. If His voice is powerful enough to do that, surely it is powerful enough to work in my heart to get it to obey His command to "be still." The Lord does not do this from afar, but rather he promises to be with us, closely protecting and surrounding us. It reminds me a little bit of how a rambunctious child can be quickly soothed and stilled when closely surrounded by the arms of a parent. Such feelings of safety certain make stillness and rest easier.

-I love that the Lord asks us to know the Him along with being still. I don't know about you, but I can definitely be the type of person that finds it hard to surrender control unless a) I know there's a plan or b) I know there's someone I trust to make better plans than me. It's very hard to surrender things to the unknown. While in following the Lord, I think we are called to do that sometimes, I also think that as we learn more about His character, the less likely things are to seem unknown. As we learn more about the extent of the Lord's power in our lives and the continuity of His presence, it becomes natural to be still. We just need to get in the practice of having this be a constant reality in our lives.

My prayer for us all today is to first, take some time to think about the ways the Lord is sovereign in our lives and the ways the Lord is present in our lives. Next, try taking some time (even a small amount), to just be still - to be with the holy God of the universe that loves you more than you can comprehend, and to dwell in His presence. 


P.S. Thanks Paul Burkhart for this awesome version of Be Still My Soul. Just a little something to listen to if you need something to get you feeling still (the lyrics are awesome!)