Be Still

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

I have a remote control for my car. It has many purposes. It will start and turn off the motor. It will lock and unlock the doors. When it does this, the horn honks — once or twice — depending on whether it is being locked or unlocked. It will open the trunk. It will arm the alarm system, and when it is triggered, the car's horn will blow continually until I use the remote to turn it off. Maybe there are more uses of which I am unaware.

Recently I have discovered another use for my remote control — a use that is not in the owner's manual. One day I came out of a store into the large parking lot and realized that I had no idea where the car was. I headed off in the general direction that I thought it was, only to discover it wasn't there. So I headed another direction. To my dismay, it wasn't there either. Then I remembered that the horn blows when I press a button on my remote. So I pressed the button. Because of the traffic noise, I had to tune in and listen carefully to hear the right sound. I had to be still. I did hear it in the distance, and so went that direction. I still couldn't locate my car anywhere so I pressed the button again. This time, the sound came from behind me — opposite to where I was originally heading. This continued for quite a while. I got the giggles about it. I kept wandering around the parking lot, laughing and continuing to follow the sound of the horn — back and forth. Finally, to my great relief, I found the car. If it weren't for my ears and ability to hear, I might still be there wandering around looking for my car!

What voices do we hear in our lives? The voice of God? Are our ears tuned into hearing what God has to say to us? Do we immediately head that direction, like I did in responding to the horn on my car? That is God's desire for our lives. Jesus Christ is waiting for us to be still and listen carefully to Him and His teachings.

Prayer: Dear Jesus, so many times, our ears aren't tuned to You. But You want to speak to us in Your soft, gentle voice. Often there is too much noise going on in us and around us. If only we will sit still, You will often whisper to us. Help us to hear and to listen to what You have to say to us. Amen.