My sweet Baby J can hear me turn on my laptop in her sleep. I swear, it’s true. But it simply doesn’t matter. Writing will happen when it happens. I am not going to make apologies for taking all the time I can for baby gazing, and rocking away endless hours while loving this little girl placed in my care.
But don’t dismay, there are some things in the works, so keep watching. I am hoping to pick up the pace soon, but in the meantime, I am thrilled to have my daughter, Genevieve, as my guest. She is a great writer and teacher in her own right, and I am proud to have her create something for this blog. I hope you enjoy Be Still and Know.
Be Still and Know
I recently redecorated my bedroom space and added a sign which reads Psalm 46:10, “Be still and know that I am God.” The verse has been a comfort during a time of transition.
Prayer can often be a very wordy and demanding time, especially during stressful, transitional periods when you don’t know what God is doing. We want to give God all our own best ideas about how to work out our problems.
A friend introduced me to the idea of stillness in prayer. Instead of being loud and demanding, we sit in the presence of God and BE with Him. Leave all the expectations and enjoy His company.
“Be still is the Hebrew word raphah. It is an action word meaning “leave off your own attempts.” It is the action of letting go. We can stop struggling with our problems and give ourselves the freedom to let go.
The second part of the verse says, “Know that I am God.” To know is the Hebrew word yada meaning “to know properly, to ascertain by seeing.” God wants us to know him by experience. He’s saying, “Watch me and see what I can do.” God is going to show His power through our experience with Him. He is challenging us to let go and watch Him demonstrate His power through our relationship with Him. How cool is that?
How do we incorporate stillness into our prayer life?
First, start out prayer with the purpose of stillness without expectation. Come to prayer with an attitude of just being and enjoying His presence. Focus on quality time without demands.
Next, approach stillness with an attitude of gratitude. Start by telling God, “Thank you,” not for anything specific, but for who He is.
Focus on an attribute or name for God. Choose one of His names, whether, Abba, “Daddy” or Elohim, “Supreme Being.” Appreciate who he is and allow yourself to experience that in the stillness.
Can it be challenging to be still in prayer?
Yes! My mind immediately starts racing with all my worries and ideas. Stillness takes practice. I have to continually remind myself to let go, be still, quiet my mind, and be thankful for His presence. I want to let God romance my heart. He desires to just be with me. I want to let Him love me intimately.
Just be still and know Him.
You can trace Genevieve Schell’s love for God’s word that can back to her AWANA days when she started to tuck good amounts of it away in her heart. She has spent much of her adult life in teaching ministry with both children and adults, and now is a cooperate trainer for a large retailer, where she encourages others in the workplace.