Welcome to Midweek Inspiration!

Midweek Inspiration is a series of posts with inspiration from the Word for your work week. I would like this to be a place where we can take a few minutes in the middle of our busy weeks, spend some time in the Word, and recharge spiritually. For this first post, I wanted to give you some background on the inspiration for the name of this blog, Take Time to be Still.

The idea for the name Take Time to be Still came from a verse in the Bible that holds special meaning for me. The first part of verse 10 in Psalm 46 says:

“Be still, and know that I am God.”

There are two commands in this verse – “be still” and “know.”

The first is the one I struggle with the most. I always have a million things going on in my head at once, and just as many things on my to-do list, so even while watching a movie I’m still checking Facebook, working on the blog, checking student e-mails, figuring out what I need to get done tomorrow, folding a pile of laundry, and so on. It’s difficult for me, and I’m sure for many in our fast-paced world, to simply be still. To take that time to be still and focus on God.

The second part of the verse, “know that I am God,” goes hand in hand with being still. It’s not enough to simply stop what you’re doing. Not enough to just let our minds go blank. We must be still and know. To be fully persuaded that He is God. To know that God is bigger than we are. That His plans are better than our plans. That His ways are far beyond our ways. That He can see the beginning, middle and end – that He IS the beginning, middle and end! (Rev. 1:8)

When we take the time to be still and know that He is God, the things on our to-do lists and the running commentary in our heads takes on new meaning.

• God isn’t waiting until our kids are grown and out of the house to start using us.
• He isn’t waiting until our finances are in order and we have extra disposable income to use us.
• He isn’t waiting until school is out for the summer, or we buy that new house, or we land that new job, or any other excuses or roadblocks we put up to serving God right here and now.

Think about the disciples. When Jesus called Levi, he was sitting in his tax booth (Mk 2:14). Jesus didn’t wait until Levi got off work for the day. He called him right then and there, in the middle of his job, and said “Follow me.” When Jesus called Peter, Andrew, James, and John they were in the middle of fishing (Mt 4:18-22). Peter and Andrew were throwing their nets into the sea. James and John were mending nets with their dad. Jesus didn’t ask Zebedee if it was ok if the boys took some time off. He didn’t tell the men “well, once you’ve hauled in those fish and fixed things up, then I want you to meet me somewhere and we’ll talk, and if you like my proposal, then you can come be my disciple. You know, as long as it’s convenient…” No. Jesus said “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” And you know what all of these men did? They followed. Right then. Right there. Immediately. Without hesitation.

What is our response to the Lord’s call? Do we even hear His call amid the noise of everyday life? He commands us to “be still and know.” What if the disciples had ignored Jesus, being so absorbed in their work and all the things they had to do that they didn’t hear Him calling? Would Jesus have found others who were willing to heed His call and do the work? Probably. But Peter, John and Levi’s lives would have been much different if they hadn’t stopped and listened and obeyed, even in the middle of their busyness.

Commit with me this week to take time each day to be still and know. Leave a comment below to let me know you’re making this commitment. If you’re on Twitter, use the Hashtag #taketimetobestill or comment on the Facebook page to let us know what you’re learning this week!

Next week I will talk about the other side of this coin – finding joy in life’s everyday moments, and I’ll offer a few practical suggestions for putting these commands to be still and know into practice. When we are still and know that He is God, it’s much easier to find meaning and joy in the everyday tasks of life.

So what about you? How do you find time throughout the week to “be still and know”?