Be Still, Be Silent

This morning started off like any other morning.  I got up, got dressed, had breakfast, took Olivia to school, and came home to go about my day.  Once I got home though, things started to feel a little hectic.  Nothing out of the ordinary, but in my spirit I felt anxious, stressed, and out of control.  I wanted to sit down and get in God's Word a bit before I did anything else, but Judah had other plans! I found my mind flooded with all the things I needed to do today, and became overwhelmed by it all.  I couldn't focus on any one thing, so finally, I just sat with Judah for a little while before it was time for his morning nap. My spirit was telling me the words of Psalm 46:10, "Be still and know that I am God." (NIV)  I got Judah upstairs to his room and down for his nap (quickly thanks to the success of our new sleep-time routines!) and came back to the kitchen table where I sit now.  I flipped to Psalm 46 in my NLT bible and noticed something I don't think I have paid attention to before. The NLT translation says, "Be silent, and know that I am God!" Wow! God, you want me STILL and SILENT. God knows the things we face each day. He knows that our world is consumed and run by phones, email, social media, etc.  He knows how all of that is enough to make any of us crazy, and he commands us to be STILL and SILENT and know that HE IS GOD! 

Of course these feelings of anxiety hitting me this morning don't surprise me much.  Last night as Scott and I sat together once the kids were asleep I said to him, "I wish my brain were hooked up to a computer or some type of recording device today. I feel like God's given me so many brilliant ideas and I haven't been able to keep track of them all or write them down."  Yesterday was one of those days where I just felt the Lord whispering to me throughout the entire day. I could have probably read and written all day long.  I felt blessed to be receiving the wisdom I was from Him and from certain other people (you know who you are!), and I just didn't want to come out of that state.  So it's no surprise to me that the enemy would be up early this morning trying to work against me! I love what I heard Jentezen Franklin say once. "Satan doesn't kick a dead horse!" This means if you're not doing anything for the glory of God, Satan won't waste his time on you! However, if you're working to deepen your relationship with God, put your hand to the plow, and shed some light on the darkness of this world, expect some tension between you and the devil!

After I read Psalm 46 I began to flip through the psalms a bit, and found this chapter that just spoke to my heart and I camped out there for a while.  Psalm 91 is full of such beautiful and comforting promises from our Heavenly Father! Instantly I felt my spirit begin to calm and my mind begin to rest. The first verse was enough to do that for me. "Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty." 

I hope if you ever find yourself surrounded by some of the feelings I felt suffocated by this morning that you will find rest in God through the promises that Psalm 91 holds for each of those who love him! Be STILL and SILENT!