“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him” – Psalm 37:7

IT IS ONE of the most challenging aspects in our era to silence ourselves before God. Generally our idea of being still before the Lord is to sit quietly for a few moments before the demands of the day dictate, or maybe another way of being silent is to have our laptop or iPad as our companion. It is piteous how reliant we really are on our aids and gadgets. Take them away and we are lost without them – “I cannot possibly have my devotional time without my computer.” How on earth did Christians manage before technology? Watch the next time when the power or connections goes out or down; do you scuttle around in the ‘fight for survival’ because you have no internet coverage; does life come to a halt until everything is up and running again?

Can we be still before the Lord with no aids, with nothing; can we concentrate just on the Lord without getting bored? I know we live in a day where so many people in society have been diagnosed with varied forms of hyperactive deficiencies, but that excuses no one of us in speaking to ourselves, saying “Be still my soul.” The Lord stilled the waves and the seas; He can certainly still the worlds within us until we are silent before Him. When once we truly cast our gaze on the Lord, the heart will be captured and we can gladly kiss away all distractions. There is only one Person Who can give rest to the soul and we would do well to frequently make it the habit of stilling ourselves before Him.

I thank God that He is neither a God of electricity or Wi-Fi; no matter what happens (to include the collapse of nations) He is very much alive and ever present. The Throne of Grace knows no decay and there is no limit to how often we approach it or however long we stay there. There is no such thing as overstaying our welcome with God.

Those who knew God often drew near to Him in silence of soul. Our times have not changed that spiritual law, we have just fallen victim to the demands of what the world deems imperative. Read some of the biographies of men and women long ago who were far busier that we claim to be and you will find they didn’t ‘squeeze’ God into their day; their day revolved around Him. They rose from sleep to meet Him and then into their busy day they went with Him.

Communion with God is not just reading the Scriptures; it is knowing God speaking through them – yes, God speaking to us. Because God has given us His Word (the Bible) does not entail He has made a vow of silence until we get to heaven. Fellowship with God is real. How many of us know about God through the Scriptures and how many of us know Him through prayer? Are we closely acquainted with Him through prayer or are we formal and detached, saying the right words by rote? Is He a Father to us or just something we have intellectually pieced together from the Scriptures; is it real; do we know, by experience, His Fatherly care? Have we known what it is to shut out every other consideration and activity until we know His presence that eliminates all fear, anxiety and irritability?

Knowing God entails we are silent before Him. Communion with God is not a one way line. What thoughts arise when you consider the Lord speaking to Moses face to face as a man speaks with his friend? Is there not something within us that longs for that closeness with God? O to hear God speak louder than our words to Him; He already knows what our tongues are yet to utter, even before the thoughts enter our hearts. Yes, we are living in days where God speaks to us by His Son (Hebrews 1:2). Are we hearing Him (Matthew 17:5); are we still enough to hear His voice and will we wait patiently until He does speak?