As I’ve sat down to write this, I’m suffering with a flare up of gout. Its very painful for me to walk right now. Hopefully the doctor will be calling in meds to alleviate the flare up. I’m not telling you this looking for sympathy. What has occurred to me is how often life can give us a pushback when we are overdoing things. 

In Psalm 46:10 we’re told, “Be still and know that I am God.” Its really a very interesting admonition. I am aware of who God is. Do I really need to be still to know this? Well, as a matter of fact, YES! 

I think too often we go about our daily lives not really considering who God is. We’re busy people. We have a lot going on in our lives. Even in the midst of this pandemic, we have continued to have incredibly full, and maybe overly full, lives. We cram a lot of stuff into what we do, where we go, who we are. Do we ever stop to ponder if this is what God wants our lives to be like? 

Personally, I can find all manner of things to fill my days with. I’m certain many of you could say the same. Sometimes we fill our days to overflowing and that’s where the trouble can begin. We stuff them full, and then we add some more. “I can get up earlier…I can go to bed later…I can shave off a little time here and a little time there.” We say these things so that we can add just one more thing to our day. 

Is this really how God intends for our lives to be? 

One of the go to places we generally consider when trying to make room for that one more thing is, the time we spend with God. After all, its not as if we are being held hostage and made to spend time with God. If we skip worship, if we fail to go to God in prayer, if we put God on the back burner, I mean who really is going to hold us accountable. 

As I sit here with my sore foot, and limited mobility, I’m realizing how much busy-ness I’ve created for myself. The busy-ness distracts me from letting God into my life in a very real way. I know God is always there, and because I do, I figure I can pick God up anytime I want to. This is not the relationship God desires with us. I believe God wants us to spend quality time with Him, not give Him the leftovers or the when-I-get-around-to-it spare time. We are told to tithe from the first fruits of our labor. Hmmmm, I wonder. Do you think maybe the same should be for the time we make for God in our lives? Maybe God would appreciate our approaching Him at the beginning of the day. Maybe what God wants is for us to be in conversation with Him throughout the day. In the decisions we make. In the ways we respond to others. In how we approach every situation. What do you think? You think maybe what we do, how we do it, what we seek, what we add into our lives would be better done with our spending time with God? 

My gout will be relieved soon enough, but it has put me in a position where I can spend time knowing God. I have no choice but to be still. Maybe that’s the point! Maybe we can only really approach God when we still everything else going on in our lives. Maybe God really wants us to focus exclusively on Him, not in addition to texting on our digital devices, or in the midst of something we watch on tv, or as a side note to whatever else we engage in. 

I hope and pray that your day is a really good one, filled with all the possibilities and goodness God can bestow upon you. Before you rush on ahead with all you have going on, go ahead; be still and really know God. I think you’ll be surprised, it will change your LIFE! 

Your fellow traveler on the Way,

Pastor Tom