Blaise Pascal who was a 15th century French Catholic theologian (among other pursuits) said, “All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.”
This is definitely something that many of us struggle with. From the moment our day starts, we’re typically either listening to something, talking with someone, watching something on TV, or working on something that requires deep concentration. So where is the time to just stop and think and to be with God?
That leads us to today’s verse which is from Psalm 46:10:
Be still and know that I am God.
For most of us, our human nature leads us to be busy, active, engaged, and accomplishing something all of the time. But if we don’t stop from time to time, how will we know how we’re doing?
We check our car’s GPS to make sure we’re on the right road. And after a football game, the teams watch game film to figure out what they did well and what they need to improve. But for some reason, we really struggle with stopping to check our personal “GPS” to figure out if we are living life in accordance with God’s plan.
God designed us and knows us perfectly which is why He wants us to be still from time to time. He knows that we need that stillness in order to hear His voice. This can be as simple as stopping to pray AND including time in our prayers to just listen. In that process, we will be able to consult the ultimate and perfect GPS for life which is God speaking to us through the Holy Spirit.
Questions:
- How much time in a typical week do you take to stop and be still?
- Do you believe that most people would benefit from regularly taking time to be still?
- What are the biggest obstacles in your life that stop you from being still more often?
- Do you ever dedicate part of your prayer time to listening? If so, how has the Holy Spirit spoken to you during this time?
- What strategies can you employ to find more time to stop and be still?
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