Peace Be Still

I’ve blogged about the Divine directive, “Be still (and know that I am God.)” I’ve also shared another lovely song based on that Psalm . But this new song by Hope Darst is just a beautiful reminder that the stillness in knowing who God is will quite naturally,  (spiritually?), lead us to be brave, to have hope. We need not fear because we know that our ever present, ever loving, ever merciful, ever powerful God is with us.

The glory of the Lord is surrounding us if we only have the faith to see it. It won’t be fully visible to our measly human sight right now. We’ll get glimpses. The utter glory of the Lord is something we behold in Jesus. In the Gospel of John, the author states quite clearly, “we beheld his glory” when Jesus “pitched his tent among us.” He was full of “grace and truth.” These are 2 attributes of the Yahweh of the Israelites, by the way.

The sad thing is that too many people these days, if they bother to think about God at all, will describe God as a “higher power” or “something greater than themselves.” Well, what the heck does that mean? Authentic belief in God means a relationship with Him. The “God” they speak of is far away. That’s not how the true God works.

What I really want to ponder is this God who loves us so much He is alway with us. We can only ‘be still,’ even in the midst of a busy day or chaos around us in the world or in our personal lives, with that knowledge. God is love, we learn in the 1st letter of John in the New Testament.

Out of this immeasurable love, God creates, and all that He creates is good, and not just good, but once God has finished creating, He says it is all “very good!” God is the reason any of us, anything, exists at all. Can you do that? Create something out of nothing? Do you love something so much that it materializes through the power of your word loving it into being? Me neither.

See how far we can come when we are still? That’s what happens when we’re so still that we will know God is with us. Each of us can accept that God is God and all that goes with that knowledge. It’s not a secret! It’s available to each of us. Isn’t that an amazing thought? Isn’t that an amazing gift?

“Peace, be still!” Jesus (Emmanuel=God with us) demands of the storm and the natural elements acquiesce. How much more will we find peace, the Peace that passes all understanding, when we are still. And earnestly, genuinely seeking that Peace that God alone can give. Jesus promises He will be with us “until the end of the age.” That promise is all we really need for peace and calm (stillness) for our hearts. That promise should give us courage and certain hope.