Be Still and Know

I am a worrier. I have always been a person who worries. Once I became a mom, my worry hit a whole new level. I think about the bad that can happen, and many times it truly ruins my day. Do you do that? Do you worry to the point of taking the joy out of the day? If so, you know exactly what I am talking about.

As I have grown deeper in my relationship with the Lord my worries are less frequent, but Satan, the prowling lion, waits until I am vulnerable and pounces. That's how Satan works. He waits until you are vulnerable, and then he strikes. But lucky for us, the Lord has already won!  

In the midst of our vulnerability we must remember Psalm 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth.” Why must we Be Still? In order to hear from the Lord, you must listen. You can't hear in the chaos; you need to be still.  The Lord can't speak to you when your complete attention is on something else...whether it be work, social media, simple everyday tasks, or just being plain busy. When we are focused on the day-to-day grind, we lose sight of the Lord. Satan gets us where he wants us. That's the perfect time for the worry to strike, or maybe for you, it's not worry but stress, or anxiety, or temptation. Whatever it may be, you are under attack. You lose sight of what the Lord has already done and will continue to do for you.  

So how can we be still? Remember how I said the closer I am to the Lord the less I worry? That's the key - your relationship with the Lord. Make time daily for the Lord. Spend time with the Lord, read His word, pray and disconnect from the distractions for a little bit. Allow this to be the time that you are still and listening. To be still is to stop, to be quiet, to be patient, to wait and listen.

We can't forget that our Lord is the Creator, the one who has numbered every hair on our heads. Talk to the Lord during your stillness and remember during this time you are building your relationship with Him. No relationship is going to be successful with one way communication. I guess I should go ahead and say, sometimes even when you are still and listening, the Lord won’t answer right away. The answer could possibly be found in the waiting or maybe just knowing He is the Almighty is enough.

This brings me to the next part of the verse. "And Know!…Know that I am God." God created the world for us. Then He created you and He created me in His image. Not because He didn’t care, but because He cared so much for you to have a relationship with Him. He values knowing you, and He desires for you to know Him. In order for you to know God, you must realize how valuable you are to Him. We are so valuable that He sent His one and only Son to DIE on a cross to save US from the sin of the world.

God is with us, and He never leaves us nor forsakes us! During points in life there are both mountain peaks and valleys. God is there through it all. Knowing Him is trusting Him, knowing is having faith that can’t be shaken. In your times of vulnerability you must be still and know. To know is to realize that God is larger than this world and has overcome the battle of death, so you may have eternal life with Him.

Proverbs 3:5 tells us to, “Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” Trust God in this journey and know that He is for you. I encourage you today to take time to Be Still and Know. In the busyness, Be Still and Know. In the chaos, Be Still and Know. 

Thankful, Grateful, Blessed

Thankful…Grateful…Blessed. You see it everywhere. It is hanging in our homes, in our offices,  we see it posted on social media…we are even wearing the t-shirts. It’s sounds really great, but do we really know what it means? Do we believe these words enough to live them out or is it just a cute trendy thing to say? As we approach Thanksgiving, it is a perfect time to take a moment to sit back and reflect on what these words really mean.  

We are thankful. We are grateful. We are blessed. If we truly believe these things then it should affect how we live our everyday lives. Moment by moment with a heart filled with gratitude, with a spirit of thankfulness knowing we are truly blessed by God.  

I thought I knew what it meant to be thankful…grateful…blessed until I traveled to India. As we drove from the airport to the hotel I was overwhelmed by the poverty. The streets were filled with chaos, and everywhere I looked there was trash and filth. Then I visited the slums. In the midst of the most deplorable conditions, I met the most precious children. They were so thankful for the opportunity to go to school. Grateful for the chance to have an education. Blessed to have people in their lives to care for them, clothe them and teach them about God.

We went to bless them, yet we walked away the ones who were blessed. Hearing the laughter. Seeing the smiles and listening as these children sang, “My hope is in you Lord. My strength is in you Lord,” was a reminder of how blessed we are to have a Heavenly Father that can bring contentment and joy in any situation. To say these kids have a hard life is a gross understatement. They are defying the odds every single day. They are an inspiration of what it means to be thankful in all things.  

Pastor Ken always says, "We have been blessed in order to be a blessing." How can we be more of a blessing to others? First, we have to get our focus off of ourselves. We must look at the world around us. When we do, we see the abundance that we have in our lives, and we can’t help but turn around and share it with others.  

We have been blessed in order to be a blessing.

The ultimate blessing we have is salvation through Jesus. What an amazing gift God has given us. Words can’t describe it, and there is nothing we can do to earn it. All we can do is accept it. When we have the gift of Jesus and the Holy Spirit is living and active in our lives then we can wear the shirt…Thankful, Grateful, Blessed…and realize the depth of what that means.

We are thankful for a God who loves us. We are grateful for a Savior who gave his life, and we are blessed beyond measure. Let’s take Thankful, Grateful, Blessed to a deeper meaning. Let’s not make it our focus one day a year or use it as trendy decor. Instead, let’s impact the world around us by living Thankful, Grateful, Blessed lives 365 days a year.