Be Still

I've been doing more paper & pen journaling lately.  Really that is my first love.  I've kept a journal of some sort or another since I was about 12.  Sometimes I write passionately and frequently.  Other times there are long lulls....years even.

But, as I've been seeking God, I've found that writing down the things that he impresses on my heart is a huge help in remembering and applying what he has for me.

As I sat down this afternoon to spend a few minutes alone with God, I decided to go back & read some old journal entries.  This is something I do fairly often.  I often see what I wrote with fresh eyes and often it speaks to me in new ways.

I came across this entry from October of last year....only a few months ago.  And, it resonated with me today.  I thought I'd share it with you.

10-27-15      Be Still

I am impatient.  I know this about myself.  It's funny that my impatience even extends to wanting to hear God speak.  Sometimes I open my notebook and words just seem to flow from the Spirit.  And, I feel like I'm hearing the voice of God.

Other times I sit here waiting and there's silence.  I'm like, "Here I am God.  My notebook is open.  I'm ready to hear you."   And then I get impatient if I don't hear anything right away.

"Be still".  That command is in Psalm 46:10, "Be still and know I am God.  I will be exalted among the nations.  I will be exalted on the earth".

It's interesting how that line that is so famous - that seems to indicate rest for us - is followed by the promise of God's glory, that He will be exalted.  We are reminded of His sovereignty through it all.

But, it's so hard to be still sometimes.

There's another place where stillness is mentioned.  Zechariah 2:13 says "Be still before the Lord, all mankind, because He has roused Himself from His holy dwelling."

There's this sense that when we are still God is on the move.

Anyway, as I sit here with my notebook open - hoping for profound words of encouragement or enlightenment I'm reminded that sometimes the most powerful thing is to be still and to wait.