Be Still

“Be Still, and know that I am God”……. Recently I had an opportunity to focus a daily meditation on those words from Psalm 46. I did it in the context of bringing myself to a place of silence and solitude as a daily practice. It was a challenge for me, even for a short time each day, as I tend to keep myself busy even in my down time. I am as much a culprit of the social media age as my children and I can easily pick up my tablet or cell and scan face book or check my emails or text my friends. I enjoy listening to music or reading a book or checking the news channels, when there aren’t any tasks that should be started or finished. So a daily practice of silence was something that I just didn’t slip into easily.

“Be Still……”, closing my eyes, blocking out the sounds of the street and the cars passing by, ignoring my dog’s face staring at me, wondering when we are going for our walk. A ping from my cellphone signals someone has texted…. ignore it. Now I can hear the refrigerator humming, I didn’t realize it was that loud. The clock on the wall actually ticks, I forgot that and haven’t heard it for years, now I can’t block it out. “and know that I am God…” what does that mean? What is the context of this verse? I should google that when I finish this silence practice, have I actually been silent yet? I need to get to the grocery store this morning…. How long should I sit here not doing anything? So much for my daily practice. I tried this whole-heartedly for a week, at different times and occasionally I actually fell asleep, which didn’t really count.

Then the storm blew in. The first real storm we have had all summer and of course we were welcoming the rain for our much needed dry ground. But the wind showed up as well, not just breezy but gusts, with so much force and power that trees were knocked down, power lines fell, property was damaged and everything stopped. No power means more than we are aware. Those portable phones, they don’t work without power, so if that is all you have, you have no phone service. Your cellphone better be charged, and will only last so long. The refrigerator no longer hummed and food was getting warm. The day turned into a very dark night. Stay off the roads because there are no traffic lights, people are not following the rules in driving, roads are blocked from fallen trees, don’t panic just…. ”Be Still, and know that I am God.”

I stop and sit in silence. Even the wind has stopped and the sun breaks through the clouds and I feel, no, I know, that I am in the presence of God. What does that mean to me? It means that through the storm, I am not alone. That God is in this world of ours, in the wind and rain, in the toppling trees, in the neighbors helping one another sift through the damage or sharing food. In the beauty of the rainbow that appears in the sky. Finally this week I could be still, I could contemplate on what it means to “know that I am God,” and I am truly thankful.