Daily Devotion, March 8, 2023

 

Devotion:

Read Psalm 46:10.

In some ways, this verse may have had a different understanding prior to 1886. This is the year that is attributed to the first patent for a “vehicle powered by a gas engine” ---the automobile was born and over the last 137 years we have become a very fast-paced, mobile society.

During the pandemic, for some the pace slowed down and there was more time to “be still.” For others, during the pandemic, there was even less time to be still. But as we move into a post-pandemic phase, our lives have resumed to a fast-paced schedule and full calendars.

This verse can be a healing balm and offer an invitation from God to all people. First, the Hebrew word for “still” that’s used here is Raphah and it means to “sink down, relax, let go, cease striving, or withdraw.” Secondly, this verse reminds us that God is God, and we are not. Sometimes we forget that we are finite beings, and we think we can do everything. But God is the One we can trust with every part of our lives.

Sometimes we connect “being still” with finding a place and a time for “being still”. Finding a time and place for being still is great and healing. “Being still” is also about an attitude of the heart which trusts God so much that we can truly relax, let go, and cease striving, realizing God is always with us.

Psalm 46 begins with “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” When our lives are centered in God, we can relax and cease our striving, knowing that God is our refuge. “Being still” in God’s presence, the ears and eyes of our hearts are more attuned to how God is speaking into our lives to lead and guide us. In these moments God is also replenishing and empowering us for the tasks ahead.

Personal Worship Option:

Reversing the phrasing to read, “Know that I am God and be still”, I hear these words in the voice of a gentle parent to their child who is fighting sleep. God is saying to us, “I’ve got this, you can rest in me.” Let these moments offer you a time to “be still”, to let God speak these words into your life and to rest in God’s care.