“Be still and know that I am God” Psalm 46:10

From the moment I wake up in the morning, to the time I flop into bed at night, my day is filled with activity, busyness and noise. In fact, even when I’m sleeping it is sometimes noisy, with two young boys that sometimes wake in the night, a rooster that lives a few gardens down, and my own thoughts and worries for the next day swimming around my head!

I struggle to find peace and quiet, and to rest my mind in God’s presence. When I do manage to find this elusive commodity, and attempt to focus on God, my mind can wander and my thoughts are consumed with a mental “to do” list.

It is vital that we find time to be quiet and have time for God to speak to us. Have you ever tried to have a conversation with someone in a pub or club where loud music is playing and there is lots of noise? It is very frustrating and you can completely miss what they are saying.

My wife and I sometimes go several days without speaking to each other properly, other than about mundane everyday matters, because we are so busy. We need to build in time to talk in depth about our lives and listen to each other, or this can adversely affect out relationship. It is the same with God.

God commands us in a Psalm 46:10 to “be still”, to stop everything, take time out and “know that he is God”. We cannot know God unless we are in conversation with him and listening to what he has to say, through his scripture and his Holy Spirit.

We can often ask for God’s guidance and direction without taking time to listen for a response! Taking time to be quiet and listen to God doesn’t necessarily mean that he will speak audibly, but it allows us to open our hearts and minds to the working of his spirit, and allows us to search the scriptures, through which God has already spoken.

It is a struggle, but we must find time each day to “be still and know God”. It takes effort and discipline, but it is worth it.