Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! Psalm 46:10
Stillness before God is about drawing away from all the noise around us and remaining in His presence. This stillness is about having a secret place where no one is watching us and no one will know about it. Most of us have various responsibilities where we are observed by others for being a spouse, parent, employee, employer, advisor, etc. In addition, we choose our “friends” on social media to see the snapshots of our activities. As a result, there doesn’t seem to be a place where we can be away from the eyes of others and to be truly ourselves before a holy God.
The scripture tells us that in the stillness of life we get to know God. In the midst of all the noise and distractions it is difficult to sense His presence or hear His voice. The “knowing” stated in the above scripture is about having an intimate relationship.
Most of us are not familiar with intimacy because it requires stillness and vulnerability. We are not used to sitting quietly because we are scared of silence. When things get quiet for a few minutes, we get antsy. We begin listening to our favorite music, texting someone, or watching a short video on social media. We have become experts in distracting ourselves. The things that we watch or listen could be helpful and spiritual, but are we getting to know the Lord personally? Are those things make us a spectator to someone else worshipping the Lord? Are we enjoying someone else’s revelation of God?
Jesus repeatedly withdrew from the crowd and that included His disciples. Jesus was already intimate with the Father, yet, He gave much attention to withdrawing from the people and having His time with the Lord. This shows the significance of quiet moments with the Lord. Jesus’ miracles and His words of knowledge were amazing. Could it be that those intimate moments with the Lord gave Him greater sensitivity to the unseen world and allowed Him to know the will of the Father clearly in each situation?
For those of us who are uncomfortable with stillness or intimacy, it will require faith to be quiet and still before God. It may feel like we are our wasting time, or we’re not being productive. If we, in faith, go before God and quietly listen to His voice, it will develop a deeper sensitivity to His quiet voice. We will sense His majesty and love, and He will begin to speak to us and give us revelations that we never imagined before.
