August 19, 2018

What Are You Avoiding?

He says, “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

Just how busy are you? Do you find yourself constantly on the go? Do you work long days and then fill your nights and weekends with other activities, such as meetings, kids’ sports or dance, church and volunteer work? Do you ever rest?

Many years ago I had a friend who never rested. This contractor worked hard. And when the day was done? Well, he continued to fill the hours. He didn’t do anything bad. It wasn’t that kind of thing. He went to the movies or a museum. He went out to eat with friends or planned an excursion somewhere fun. On the surface, it was a great life.

But I began to notice something about him. He never rested. Never. It was almost as though he couldn’t stand to be alone with his thoughts or, indeed, with himself. There was an underlying sadness about him, no matter how often he laughed. He was living life on the surface in a desperate attempt to avoid what was inside.

I’ve been thinking a lot about him lately. I’m in a different state, with a different life, but I’ve met a woman who reminds me of my old friend. I’ve known her for several years and she is a delightful person. She is quick to smile, quick to volunteer, quick to get involved. She is one of the busiest people I know.

I didn’t realize it until I tried to schedule a meeting around her schedule. She works all day, then almost every night is filled with some activity. The weekends are no exception. She seems to thrive on being busy. But there is an emptiness to her.

She tries desperately to control everything she’s involved in. Her conversations are sprinkled with gossip. Her tongue bites anyone who disagrees with her. She has no patience with those who don’t meet her standards. She is one of the unhappiest people I know.

I look at my own life. I think of the times I filled my days in a desperate attempt to avoid facing myself. Unhappiness is an awful companion. Reality can be a hopeless trigger to truth we’d do anything to avoid.

We will never find true satisfaction in busyness. We will never be content on the frantic treadmill of life. Our only peace comes in those quiet moments of solitude we spend with our Creator.

Sooner or later we all come face to face with that reality. We can’t ignore truth forever, no matter how hard we try. We’ll eventually burn out, our bodies will give way, our crammed days will open up with time. God won’t let us avoid Him forever.

Conviction is a powerful weapon God uses to draw us toward Him. It’s when we realize we’ve been avoiding Him, failing to live up to His standards, and trying to hide our unhappiness, that we finally look in the mirror to see who we are and, more importantly, who He is.

Be still. His words beckon to us. We shy away. Who wants to face unhappiness? But the only way to get to the other side is to deal with today. He’s right there.  You won’t be alone. God will never leave you alone to face whatever you are desperately trying to avoid.

Sometimes the hardest steps are actually the easiest. Slow down. Fall to your knees. Cry out to Him. Let His Presence wash over you. Let yourself be held in His everlasting arms. Trust Him. Creator God can heal you from the inside out.

May 17, 2018

Be Still

He says, “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

We are tethered to technology. The cell phone is a friend that never leaves our side. We have Facebook, Instagram and all sorts of other ways to communicate. We are never disconnected and we are never really alone.

Society sure has changed and while I applaud some of the advances, I also cringe at some of those same things. Do we ever stop? Do we even realize that it’s okay not to answer the phone or respond to a text right away?

We use technology as a crunch. Have you ever watched people who are alone in a crowd? That phone pops out and we’re just so busy, so involved, so necessary. We aren’t really alone. Someone wants to check in on us. We’re important. That’s the message we’re trying to send anyway.

And there is God, patiently waiting for us to acknowledge Him. This is the God of the universe, the Creator of all things, Yahweh. He’s a big deal, you know. But we’re just so busy that we don’t have much time to spend with Him.

We’re too busy. Really. We are. Be still, God tells us. And know peace. And know wisdom. And know who He is. Really and truly.

Priscilla Shirer offered up the 14-minute challenge in her Breathe Bible Study. Can you rest for 14 minutes. Can you turn off the phone, turn off the television, and just breathe? Can you be silent with God for 14 minutes? Can you shut out the rest of the world and focus only on Yahweh? Remember it’s only for 14 minutes. Can you do it? Are you sure?

There was a time when we left work and went home, knowing we wouldn’t have to deal with work issues until the next day. There was a time when we could truly take a vacation without being bombarded by texts and e-mails. Life changes. I understand that. But some changes have shifted us around to a place that stresses us out and provides for no margin of rest.

God says it’s okay to rest. When God rested on that seventh day, it wasn’t because He was tired. Shirer pointed this out in her study. He’s God. He doesn’t get tired. Besides, it’s not like He was out doing something strenuous. God spoke everything into being. He said it and it was so. As amazing as that is, it wasn’t that hard for God.

So why did He create the Sabbath? Because God understood that we would need rest. He didn’t design us to go all out seven days a week, 52 weeks of the year. God wants us to work hard. He also wants us to spend time with Him, rejuvenating our soul and forming a deep relationship with Him.

But we’re just so busy. Do you remember when the Israelites were wandering around for 40 years? God provided manna from heaven for them to eat. And what did He say. On the sixth day, God provided enough for the sixth and seventh days so that the Israelites wouldn’t have to work on the Sabbath. If they gathered too much and tried to hoard extra, it spoiled and stunk badly. God wanted them to learn to depend on His daily provision. He wants us to learn the same thing.

The world will not fall apart if we sit down and rest. The world will not end if we turn off the cell phone and the television and just spend quality time with God. That’s been a hard lesson for me to learn. I’m accustomed to always working, always doing, always trying to get caught up. How about you?

Take the 14-minute challenge. Close the door and shut out the world. Give those 14 minutes to God. Be still. Remember who He is. Praise His Holy Name. Let His peace wash over you. Rest.

April 2, 2018

Who Do You Turn To?

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. – Psalm 46:1

When something bad happens, who is the first one you turn to? When your world is shattered, who is the one who helps you pick up the pieces?

Friends and family can be wonderful in bad and uncertain times. But no one is better at handling trouble than God. He alone is equipped to guide us and rescue us from the evil that can sometimes surround us.

We have to ask for His help. Unlike many people in our lives, God doesn’t generally insert Himself into our troubles without an invitation. Instead, He waits patiently until we reach the point when we need Him so desperately that we cry out in pain and frustration. Then He’s right there.

Bad times generally turn people completely toward God or completely away from Him. We may pretend otherwise but our hearts tell a different story. There’s been many a person who went through the motions of church while harboring a deep anger at God for what He did or didn’t do for them or their loved one.

A dear friend became a widower long before he expected. In fact, he’d always believed he’d be the first to go home. He was years older than his wife. She was in good health and getting closer to retirement. They had plans for travel and spoiling the grandchildren and just growing old together.

ALS is an awful disease, robbing the body of its function while allowing the mind to see and know everything. His grief surrounds him even as he pushes forward. He has joined a new church, the one his son and grandchildren have long attended. He is a volunteer and attends almost every function at the church. He is learning and growing in Christ in a way he never expected. There’s nothing quite like death to make you realize skating through life with a lightweight faith just doesn’t work anymore.

Another friend has turned away from God. His splintered family has ripped his heart apart. Only God could possibly untangle the lies and change the circumstances of his situation. But God allowed it to happen and he is just too angry to cry out for help.

He has pulled away from church and faith. He numbs his sorrow drinking in clubs and filling his off hours with friends who do the same. His wife prays for him, for revival in his hardened heart. Will he ever turn back to the shallow faith he once claimed? Will he ever reach out to the only One who can heal and restore?

Life is full of hardship, of brokenness and lies. People we trusted will betray us in the worst ways. Illness comes even when you do everything right. Jobs are lost. Accidents happen. Life can sometimes be so hard.

God has all the answers. No. He won’t stop the bad from happening. This is a fallen world after all. But He does promise to be our refuge, our strength, our guiding light when trouble comes. We can count on His love when everyone around us seems distant and untrustworthy.

Which path do you choose? Do you choose to draw closer to God when trouble hits or do you choose to pull away?

April 14, 2016

Prioritize God

He says, “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

Our world has gotten so crazy. We’re always busy, running to catch up to a place that can never be our destination. Why? Because by the time we get there, it will have moved.

Yesterday I had a long conversation with a dear friend. We did it by texting. The conversation lasted over an hour, though we did have breaks. We could have talked and said the same things in 10 minutes. Or, at least, we could have once upon a time.

She has ALS. You’ve probably heard of it. The disease is sometimes called Lou Gehrig’s disease, after the baseball player. It is a cruel disease that manifests itself different ways with different people. In her case, she has lost the ability to speak and swallow food.

There is good in slowing down, in savoring a conversation with a dear friend. In cherishing the moments that one day won’t come. So why do we wait until life forces us to slow down to savor it?

I’ve been told by more than one cancer survivor that it ended up being the best thing that ever happened to them. Why? It reordered their priorities. It shined a bright light on what was really important and what was just stuff.

Why do we allow ourselves to get so caught up in all the activity of life that we miss what’s important? Maybe because it’s safer. It’s easier. Less messy. We don’t have to allow ourselves to be as vulnerable, even with the people we love. We don’t have to risk ourselves because we’re filled with excuses that occupy our time.

One dear lady -- a two-time lung cancer survivor -- told me her illness has made her less patient with the drama that surrounds so many people. She fills her life with people that matter, people who laugh, are trustworthy, and who have their priorities in order. She treasures those people and keeps a distance from those who drain her time and energy.

It all comes down to priorities. I wonder how many Christians really take time to quiet their minds and their lives to allow God access to their hearts. Be still, God tells us. Feel His power and His love. Just be still in His Presence. Make God your priority. It has a way of reordering your focus onto what really is important.

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Listen To God’s Voice

“Be silent and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.” -- Psalm 46:10

Silence is a luxury for so many of us. I know. Most things we just sort of ignore, like city traffic and a television blaring nearby. Other things are blessings, such as children laughing or dogs playing.

Still, sometimes we fill our lives with busyness and noise in an effort to drown out the voice of God. We probably don’t even realize what we’re doing. It’s habit. We assume we can multi-task and accomplish Bible reading and television watching all at the same time. We can’t though.

I once had a friend who needed to fill every moment of every day with something. He was a contractor, so that took up much of his week. His weekends were scheduled with tours and museum visits and dinners out with friends. His weeknights were filled with movies and meetings. He never wanted to be alone and he never wanted to be without something to do.

It took me years to figure it out. He was afraid of what -- or who -- he’d find if he finally ended up alone in silence. He was a very unhappy man who tried to hide that from those around him. His frantic attempts to schedule all his moments escalated until I truly didn’t understand how he could keep going. I tried to talk with him but he wasn’t ready to listen.

We’ve lost track over the years but I pray he eventually found peace. Unhappiness can’t be buried forever under busyness. Eventually it all comes to the surface and that deck of cards crashes all around us. Better to face it with God and get through it, rebuilding on a solid rock, than to try and pretend.

It’s hard to face the silence sometimes. If we suddenly don’t have time to pray or read our Bible, that’s a giveaway that we’re avoiding God. The question is why. He’s probably trying to tell us something we’d rather not hear. We need to hear it anyway.

It’s also difficult sometimes to clear our minds so that we can hear God. Julia Cameron, in her book The Artist’s Way, recommended what she terms morning pages. They are three pages of writing down just stuff as a way to empty our souls and quiet our minds. Cameron developed them so that creative people could be open to, well, creativity. But those pages work wonderfully for those of us trying to get past all that rattling around in our minds so that we can hear God’s voice.

Quietness opens us up to all sorts of possibilities and blessings from our Creator. Solitude, when it’s just Him and us, is just the greatest gift. It builds and deepens a relationship unlike any other. As we kneel before His throne, we hear Him call to us and beckon us closer. Lean in and listen to what He has to say.

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Silence Is So Powerful

“Be still, and know that I am God;” (NIV)

“Be silent, and know that I am God!” (NLT)

-- Psalm 46:10

Silence is such a rare commodity these days. It seems that there’s always a horn blaring, a television going or a cell phone ringing. The other day an entire orchestra stopped its performance because of a ringing cell phone. What is this world coming to?

Sometimes I am a very unpopular person. The reason? I am not always available. I, gulp, turn my cell phone off. Of course, I’ve also learned to turn the television off but nobody seems to care about that. All that matters is that I’m available to them at all times.

When did we become a world where we must always be connected, always be available, always be filling our moments with chatter and movement? What are we hiding from? Are we so afraid of who we are that we can’t stand to be alone with ourselves?

And what about God? How can we ever hear His voice when we’ve got so much stuff going on in our minds and all around us. I see people texting during church and I just can’t believe it. Turn it off! Participate in worship. Let yourself soak in the moment without distractions.

A few years ago I heard a woman say that she simply didn’t have time to read and study the Bible. I understood why. She could tell you every detail of the “in” television shows. It’s not that she didn’t have time. It’s that she chose mindless matter over a deeper relationship with her Holy Father.

Don’t get me wrong. I love mindless television. And I try to always be reachable in emergencies. But that doesn’t mean I’m available all the time just because someone thought to call at that moment.

A friend recently lamented the rudeness so prevalent these days. It’s frustrating and irritating to go out to dinner with a friend, only to have that friend spend half the time talking on the cell phone to someone else. It’s awful to see how rude people are to cashiers. They barely acknowledge the cashier because they are too focused on themselves and their cell phone conversations.

Is it any wonder that we are a stressed out bunch of folks? We forgot what was important. We forgot how powerful silence can be. Or maybe we grew afraid of the silence.

Be still, God tells us. Know that He is God. Exalt Him and praise Him. Fill your mind with His goodness and mercy. Let His peace wash over you. In the silence, hear His voice calling you near. Be still. And know.

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Listen For HIS Voice

"Be still and know that I am God."

-- Psalm 46:10

Sometimes I find myself just wanting to yell, "SHUT UP!" No. Not at you. At me. That person I see in the mirror everyday. The person who is so busy talking and worrying that I can't get my mind quiet enough to actually hear God.

When I focus on what seems impossible, I forget who's running things. When I try to work things out on my own, I forget who can fix anything. When I believe the world rests on my shoulders, I lose sight of the One who created everything.

Fortunately, God never goes away. He stays right there with me, waiting until I wear myself down. Then in quietness I turn to Him and I can hear Him speak.

Years ago I tried my hand at pottery. I wasn't particularly good at it but I did create a number of clay crosses. I etched the words above but left off God's name at the end. I didn't mean any disrespect, which I'm sure God knew. It's just that the words reminded me of an earlier conversation between Moses and God. It's Exodus 3:14. (Having a pastor for a friend is great, especially when he knows the Bible verse you're trying to find!)

"God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'"

God is I AM. He is Yahweh. He is everything and all things. And in the quiet, when my mind is finally uncluttered enough to hear Him I know, beyond any doubt, that I belong to Him. My Creator. My Father. My God.