Weekend Words

 From Be Still and Know...

"Be still and know that I am God." - Psalm 46:10

How often do I spend time in God's presence, just loving Him and becoming acquainted with Him?  Or do I only come to Him when I have a request to ask Him?

In reading about the lives of Christians through the ages who were strong in their faith, we learn that they took time to BE STILL and become intimately acquainted with God.

To become better acquainted with God necessitates spending time with Him.  It means more than hurriedly reading a verse or too of Scripture and quickly asking God to bless us.  We need to enter our spiritual closet, close the door, and become quiet in His presence, meditating on who He is and what He has done for us.

Often we become so involved in the fast pace of life that we fail to take the necessary time for such fellowship with Him.  How well do you know God?

As we begin the new year, may the prayer of our hearts be that we will take time to "Be still, and KNOW GOD."

Lord, I surrender all my gifts, to take into this year,

That I may use them in Your will, to bring the Saviour near.

The gifts You gave are not my own - they're Yours to take away,

Or let remain, if You should choose, to use for You each day.

And so my gifts I dedicate that I may serve You here,

May all the glory go to You - my King, my Saviour dear.

- Ann Clifton

From Beside the Still Waters...

Stillness - Read: Psalm 46, Ephesians 1:15-23

"Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth." - Psalm 46:10

As we stepped outside to do chores on our small farm, we were greeted by the baying of hounds on the trail of some animal.  The sound seemed out of place in the slight fog, first rays of sunshine, and calmness of a beautiful fall morning.  Instead of birds singing and cow's feet swishing through wet grass, all we could hear were the deep notes of hounds following a scent.  It did not inspire quiet thinking.

It seems that there are fewer and fewer people today who want to spend time in quiet thinking.  Days are filled with things to do, places to go, people to meet, things to buy, and jobs to finish.  When can a person actually be still as today's key verse advises us?  Were schedules not crowded 3,000 years ago when this was written?

We should be well aware that if we do not spend quiet time with the ancient Source of time, our day is wasted.  Whatever we do instead cannot be as important as the time when we should be still.  Perhaps our adversary the devil has convinced us that we do not have time for stillness.  But he is a liar and the father of lies.

In stillness we draw near to Almighty God.  We see our neediness without Him, instead of our independence.  In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve recognized their sinfulness in the stillness of the evening.  They saw that they were open and naked before the One who was coming to visit them.  They tried to hide and cover themselves, but in vain.  Yet God called them to speak with Him, and He still calls us today.

Simon Martin - Beulaville, NC