Be Still And Know

Psalm 46:10 – Be still, and know that I am God. (NIV)

Psalm 139:9-10 – If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. (NIV)

It is early on a Sunday morning as I sit, ready and waiting to go to church, preparing my mind and heart to sense, again, the awesome reality of His presence. It has been a difficult week, weather-wise. Most of the time the temperature has been over 34 degrees Celsius, and factoring in the humidity, something like 40 degrees, or over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Then, late in the week, violent thunderstorms came, climaxing with the crash and consuming fire of Air France's Flight 138 while trying to land on the runway of nearby Pearson airport. Miraculously, and thankfully, every person on board survived unharmed.

Now, as I look out my window, I am struck by the stillness of the morning. Not a leaf stirs; not a bird flies; even the grasses stand at attention in the deafening silence.

I think of Elijah hiding in the mountains. After the wind, fire, and earthquake, came the still, small voice. Again, I realize that God seems more real now in the holy stillness of the morning than in the mighty shifts of heat and storm during the past week. I wonder how often the shepherd king, David, knew His presence as he watched his flock at dawn after a stormy night. Certainly, he knew, as today's Scripture tells us, the deep and abiding truth that, no matter what, His hand will hold us fast!

Even as I write, another thought comes to mind. It is not the noisy, difficult people who make a difference in our lives. It is said that still waters run deep. The folk who make a difference are not the noisy ones but those in whom the strong Spirit of God dwells quietly, who know what they believe and are prepared to act when He moves within them!

Prayer: Teach us, O God, to know the power of Your silent presence, to wait quietly for You to move us, and to act without fear when action is required. Amen.

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