Be Still… And Know That I Am God

In the next episode of Pillars of Heaven, Dr. Myke and I talk about Psalm 46.  I was inspired by this Scripture much earlier in the morning before the show upon waking up to my alarm.  My goal was to get up very early (before the birds lol) because I enjoy the peace and quiet and I find I am very productive at that time of day.  However, it just wasn’t happening.

I felt indescribably tired.  I wanted to get up, but my body was telling me “no.”  So I stayed in bed and opened up my Bible to start my morning reading like I do every morning.  I read for just a little bit and I become so drowsy that I close my Bible and cradle it as I fall back to sleep.

In and out of sleep, I periodically check my phone to see the time and inwardly I so much want to get up and start my day but I just don’t want to move.  I was so very exhausted.  And then in my mind, I played the one part of the movie in my mind of Left Behind: Tribulation Force where Buck Williams (Kirk Cameron) has a vision of Pastor Barnes saying, “Stand Still.”  Buck Williams was just informed that his wife Cloe was deathly sick and he wanted to rush to be by her side.  Of course, that is humanly understandable, but really, there was nothing he would have been able to do for her except risk getting ill himself.

God wanted him Buck to trust Him and be willing to surrender the situation to God.  This is a great lesson for all of us.  And that scene is exactly what was playing in my mind early Saturday morning.

I wanted to get up, start my day, and be very productive.  I wanted to busy myself.  But I needed to be still, and acknowledge God and His sovereignty.  The mistake I think a lot of us make is we feel we need to always be doing something, and if we aren’t, we feel lazy or unproductive.  But let me tell you, burnout is a real thing and it will catch up to you if you’re not careful to set aside time for proper rest.

When you’re feeling run down, remind yourself of Psalm 46:8-11

8 Come and see what the Lord has done,
    the desolations he has brought on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease
    to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
    he burns the shieldsd] with fire.
10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth.”
11 The Lord Almighty is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress.
 
“Be still, and Know that I am God.”  Amen.  God is in control of everything and the world is not going to come crashing down if you’re tired.  In fact, when you are starting to feel this way, this would be a great time to surrender it to the Lord.  Tell Him how tired you are, and ask Him to refresh your spirit.  Ministry and work is important but so is your health and your spiritual health.  Take time to rest in God by spending time with our Savior Jesus Christ in prayer.