Be Still!

I’m not a hunter. Period.

Well, let me back up and explain my hunting experience. I’ve never had a license until last year. I hate guns and have never shot a deer or anything else for that matter, unless Duck Hunt on the old Nintendo game counts for anything. And I don’t care for the many bug critters out here either!

However, I love being out in God’s beautiful creation. I enjoy spending time with my hubby. Taking time to notice the sights, sounds of nature…the velvety greens and vibrant colors of fall…make me feel at peace. I enjoy the quietness and watching wildlife in a natural habitat. Mainly though, I enjoy “getting away” and having time and bandwidth to do exactly what I’m doing right now. Thinking, listening, watching…and writing. Thank goodness for my trusty little iPhone notepad!

I’m thinking of the scripture, “Be still and know I am God.” In the blessed stillness of this woods, there are no distractions. I’m not moving about doing chores or completing a to-do list; I’ve got to remain still — except for my fingers and brain, that is. I listen intently and scan constantly for any change in my environment. A pesky squirrel can sound like Big Foot making its way through crisp, fallen leaves and the chirping of crickets and buzzing of dragonflies and other insects seem to be so greatly amplified too. Be still!

So, I tell you all that to assure you that I’m not a hunter, even though I sit here decked out in camouflage. I’m really only attempting to be “one” with the scenery.

Our lives are so busy from day to day, how often do we truly have moments of complete stillness and silence? If your life is anything like mine, I’m sure you’d agree they’re very few and far between. At least that would be my estimation. What does it really mean to be still?

Stop.

Wait.

Hold on.

Don’t move.

Pay attention.

Watch.

I certainly wouldn’t notice all these details I see presently if I was running along doing life as normal. Yet, when I’m being still, it seems the details I usually miss scream out for attention.

How many times have we heard God speaks in a still, small voice? Sure. He could get our attention with a scream, and sometimes He must; but how many times do we miss Him because we’re not spending regular time being still. The little hints and details He attempts to catch our attention with go unnoticed because we won’t be still.

He speaks loudest in the quiet and stillness.

Do you see what I see?

We strive to find answers, to solve life’s problems with our smarts and abilities, and make everything work out perfectly according to what we can accomplish and our will to bring it to pass. Yet, God patiently waits for us to stop, to be still and recognize Him. He is Lord!

He is sovereign. He is trustworthy. He is all powerful. He is the answer. He is our Defender. Our Savior. It’s Him. Him. Him!

Why in the world do we try to do it all in our finite wisdom and power? Maybe I’m the only one, but I don’t think so.

He calls us to be still and know He is God. What is He trying to show and teach us that we’re missing because our life is roaring and whirling so?

He wants to do the work! He wants to show His power. He wants us to simply stand and see the salvation of the Lord. He likes us to sit at His feet or to serve Him, not strive to do a job we could never accomplish in a million years worth of trying.

If you’re weary and tired, maybe it’s because you’re like me and sometimes we make ourselves almost crazy trying to do His job. What are we thinking?! Life doesn’t always have to be as hard and difficult as we might think. Yes, there will be hard stuff, but if we heed His tender call things could be much easier. He beckons us to sit at His feet, to cast our cares upon Him, not to be fearful or anxious, to take His yoke upon us, to hear His gentle, soothing whispers, etc. Be still!

So, that’s what I’m reminded of as I sit here in the quiet stillness. Maybe the Lord is reminding me not to attempt to take His job and to take notice of the details which prove He is working on my behalf. Maybe He’s whispering, “Come to me! I will give you rest. Allow me to be God, and you just be still.”

It’s so much easier to be still, isn’t it? I mean, think about it: being still or trying to hold our world in our hands. I think it’s a pretty easy choice to make when I stop long enough to recognize the possible unnecessary weight I’m adding to my load and the trap I might be heading toward. Satan likes nothing better than for us to stay busy and take our issues and situations into our own hands. I’ll be the first to admit it though, I almost always make a mess of things. God is perfect, and does so well with the details…and His will is always best.

Who knew this would be in my mind as I sit here and wait…on a deer, but so much more too. One more verse popped into my heart. Psalm 42:1, “As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.” I want to be like the Psalmist and long and “pant” after the Lord’s will, way and presence — not mine.

Won’t you join me in trying to change up the way we do things? Let’s be still enough to notice the details, hear His whisper, and really get to know God on a deeper level. What testimonies and stories we’ll have to tell! They won’t be about the “big horn” that got away either. They’ll be about how God showed up, how we learned the importance of waiting on Him and being still, how He taught us important life lessons…and, my friend, those are better “trophies” than anything furry we could ever have mounted to hang on our wall.

Be blessed ~

*Feel free to share with someone you think would be blessed by this…and come back often to see me.