Stillness and Knowledge

“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” Psalm 46:10 ESV

I've read this passage many times.  I have sung songs in ensembles about being still and knowing He is God.  I've taken deep breaths in moments of trials and thought "be still and know He is God."

Be Still. It wasn't until I had to be physically still for a test, an MRI, that I realized stillness sometimes requires work.  Stop, don't talk, be as still as possible.  My muscles were tense, I had an itch on my nose I could not scratch.  I had to remain still for 30 minutes. During that time this verse came into my thoughts...so this is what being still really means.

And know that I am God I'll start making a mental list about what I know about God.
Your mind goes everywhere when you must remain calm.  You are focusing on making sure you don't move. You have time to think about life, the universe, everything. I filled my mind with things I remembered about who God is.  Just knowing "God you are in charge."

I looked up this verse on Biblehub.com and found many other verses that talk about who God is:
Psalm 46:11 The LORD of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

Psalm 100:3 Know that the LORD is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

I will be exalted 

Isaiah 2:11 The proud look of man will be humbled, and the loftiness of men brought low; the LORD alone will be exalted in that day.

Isaiah 2:17 So the pride of man will be brought low, and the loftiness of men will be humbled; the LORD alone will be exalted in that day,

Psalm 21:13 Be you exalted, LORD, in your own strength: so will we sing and praise …

We are struggling in our nation.  We all have ideas, opinions, concerns, etc.  Not just our nation, but the entire world.  And what does this verse say?  God will be above these worries, thoughts, and even control. 
When we get worked up about policies or people. 
When we don't know what to do next
Or can't figure out why we have this physical ailment that we can't find the root.
When we have loved ones that don't want to hear the love and truth
And we can't control what they do...

Let us Be Still.  Know God. He will be Exalted.
Let God be first in our priorities and thoughts throughout the day. 
Stay still long enough to hear God say-- Pray for your friend. 
Send them a text of encouragement. 
Tell someone your story of how God has changed your life.
Smile at the lady who is the faithful cashier at the store. 
Ask the person next to you in church how they are doing and really care.
Say no to obligations that others have put on you but God says...this season you need to be still.

Whatever it is, through being still, praying, reading the Bible, and just thinking about God.

It is hard to just be still, but for me it has been exactly what I need.
I pray you can find time also to Be still and know that He is God. He will be first among everything in my life. (that's the Krasnichan paraphrase)

https://youtu.be/BgaHaioAjyg

Trusting Others With Our Hidden Treasure

One of the recent conversations I was having with some dear friends was about brokenness.  I am broken.  Truth be told we are all broken but we may struggle to genuinely admit that we are broken and accept others with love in their current seasons of life.

I struggle with trusting others with my deep brokenness.  As a child being one of six I used creative ways to get my parents' attention.  I am gifted with a loud voice, so I would increase my volume to get attention.  I would also share a lot of information about myself.  I was a great example for what TMI (too much information) is.

It wasn't until adulthood when that too much information backfired. I shared my brokenness with those who either didn't care, didn't know how to help, or for another reason which I still am not sure, responded in an unloving way.  I trusted a few people I assumed I could trust and they were not trustworthy.  Because of these experiences I began to keep more and more of my hurts and struggles to myself.  This was not healthy and I am still dealing with the consequences of living life for so long like this.

We all have this brokenness in us.  I thought of an analogy of our hurts and pain being a treasure of jewels broken and unrefined.  They are beautiful...or could be beautiful if we would let Jesus come and heal the wounds.

God often uses other people to help us in our need.   I need to share my brokenness with others in order to heal.  Call things what they are.  Give them a name so they loose their power.

It is really hard to trust others with this treasure.  Especially because not everyone understands or is willing to understand.  I'll share my broken treasure with someone and they will only see broken up pieces of cement.  They don't think my box of rocks should be anywhere near a treasure chest..

It takes vulnerable, broken, and humble people who have learned what Jesus' love really is in order for them to see my box of rocks as jewels that need to be refined, mended, cleaned and put into beautiful settings that can be displayed to show God's glory.

We need to be honest and vulnerable.  Genuineness is so necessary for any hope of healing and growth. "Don't throw your pearls before swine" is not just wisdom and truth.  It includes our deep needs and who we are.

Perhaps we should pray that we can be open and honest about our joys and sorrows.  Pray that God would send you a support group who will value your hidden treasure of brokenness and will help you.  Pray for discernment to know who those few trusted people will be.  Pray you too can be that person for someone else.

If you are guilty of not being able to handle or accept others who are broken, I encourage you to ask God to show you how to see others how Jesus does.  Be willing to look at your own life and see where your judging heart or selfish spirit has caused you to miss out on being part of changing broken stones into beautiful treasure.


"But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And He who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that He might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom He predestined he also called, and those whom He called He also justified, and those whom He justified He also glorified."
Romans 8:25‭-‬30 ESV
https://bible.com/bible/59/rom.8.25-30.ESV