“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”
I awoke last Thursday morning with the devotional you see below staring back at me from my computer screen. It was written by Bettina Almeida, a college student who was staying with us for a few days. Arriving home from work the night before, and not having our WiFi password (I don't know what it is!), Bettina needed a computer to finish a project for school. I offered mine and then retired for the evening.
Little did I know Bettina's work was preparing this devotional for a group of college students. How refreshing for me when I read it the next morning. I asked her if I could share her words with you and she said, "Yes."
In 1 Kings 19, we find a story of the Prophet Elijah. In a time of great distress and danger, he longed to die. Jezebel was on a mission to take his life for the work he had done for the Lord. In these moments, Elijah attempted to run away, but God caught up with him. The Lord set forth a destructive wind, an earthquake, and a fire, but the Lord did not speak to Elijah in any of these events. God spoke to Elijah through a still, small voice that was only able to be heard after all was quiet. It was in this moment that Elijah could see God’s almighty power at work in the world around him. Elijah could truly see God as God, and he found peace.
In this verse, we are being instructed to let go, to be quiet, and to be physically and mentally still. For many of us sitting in this room, this is very hard to do. Between keeping up with classes, keeping up with friends, and just being college students in general, the idea of being still goes against what we have naturally been doing these past couple of months. We may think that going full speed ahead in everything we do makes us more complete, but God is telling us to be still. If we are constantly in motion, God’s voice can be nearly impossible to hear. It is important to our faith to realize that the more we try to be still, the more we can hear God’s voice. We are able to better recognize God’s presence in our lives, and our “issues” seem smaller, and God appears bigger. We must follow God’s divine purpose for us, instead of just focusing on our own agendas and wants.
I know many of us are busy with our day to day lives, but looking at the “Be still” part of Psalm 46 tells us that we need to slow down. We all need to take much needed breaks to reflect on God and His greatness, His love, and His power. We live in a world of constant motion, but spending this time with God is imperative in strengthening our faith.
I needed this reminder last week. I need it today. Go slow before you go fast. Be still! Reflect on God and His greatness, His love, and His power.
Thanks Bettina!