Be Still. And “No”.
One of my favorite verses over the years has been Psalm 46:10 – Be still, and know that I am God.
It has been a constant reminder in those times of anxiety or fear. That God is present, aware and fully able. In any and every situation. Though my soul is always aware of that fact, my mind needs those words to bring things back into proper focus.
I like words. I like playing with them and turning them around and changing their emphasis in a sentence.
So, when I was working on a piece of barn wood and painting the words “Be still, and know…” a thought occurred to me.
Be Still. And “No”.
From the Psalm 46 verse, we know what we are to focus our attention on: To know that He is God.
But how many times do thoughts rush in that tell us to worry, that we are not enough or aren’t doing enough? How often are we distracted by things that cloud the reality that God’s “got this”? How often are we so busy with “good” things that we neglect the best thing?
Sometimes we need to “JUST SAY NO”. To thoughts and distractions. To lies that tell us we need to worry and fret and stew about things. To insane busyness that winds us up so tight that we nearly snap. To false guilt and obligation.
Remember Mary and Martha in the bible? They are always referred to in reference to remembering the “one thing” whose importance trumps and overshadows all “other things”. Mary and Martha had a dinner party. Martha was busily doing all the prep work in the kitchen to present a fabulous meal to her guests. Jesus was there. And Mary, who probably should have been helping her sister in the kitchen, was sitting at Jesus’ feet, listening to His words and savoring each one. She was “be(ing) still and know(ing)” that He was God. She was reveling in His presence. She was so overcome by the fact that He was sitting there with her that all of the other distractions, the “important” things, the worries of the party, the must-do’s faded in her mind.
Understandably, Martha was irritated. She was doing all the work while her sister just sat there. She didn’t get it. No, I mean she really didn’t get it. She was friends with Jesus just like Mary was, but she wasn’t remembering that His mere presence in her home outweighed anything her mind was worrying about. She even complained about the lack of help to Jesus. Luke 10:40 – But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
Jesus’ response? Luke 10: 41-42 – “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Sometimes we need to just sit there and say no to the distractions, the worries. Sit and fully enjoy the presence of God Himself who is right here with us.
Be still. And “No”.
