W. Tozer stated, “Without doubt, the mightiest thought the mind can entertain is the thought of God, and the weightiest word in any language is its word for God.” And yet, how often do we take the time to consider the full character of God, the awesomeness of who He is and all He has done? The Lord implores us: “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10a NLT). In the New American Standard Bible, it reads: “Stop striving and know that I am God.” Being still is hard for a lot of people. “Stop striving” helps us understand that God is calling us to more than a physical stillness; He wants our minds to be still, focused on Him.
We have all experienced the disappointment of trying to connect with or communicate with someone who is not paying attention. They’re distracted – physically or mentally. Either way, our efforts are not appreciated; we’re not connecting. We might say, “Hey, can you stop for a minute?” or “I feel like you aren’t really listening.” God knows we struggle with this, but He wants our attention. He longs to connect with us and knows we need to connect with Him.
If we are not intentional, we can misplace our spirit of worship and our ability to withdraw inwardly to meet God in adoring silence with other less important priorities. For example, as well-intentioned as they are, if our churches place too high a premium on church growth and reaching the lost, they risk their congregations losing their religious awe and consciousness of the divine presence of the Almighty. Their sense of majesty can be replaced with slick marketing programs that tend to place attention on numbers rather than spiritual maturity and a growing relationship with Jesus.
Lately I have rediscovered the importance of feeling God’s presence. Life depends upon it, for God gave us life. When we drift away from time with the Lord, life wears us down, and all manners of unhappiness plague us. When we sit in His presence, we become more aware of His majesty. To “know that He is God” is to remember who God is, who we are, Who is in control, as well as God’s goodness. It is to acknowledge Him as the Creator, Adonai, the Messiah, and the One true God, reflecting on all that we know about God – His character, His plan for us, His promises, and His track record. We remember what He has done throughout time and for us. And He opens our eyes to know Him more. It is both humbling and rejuvenating, as if a reset button has been pressed. Being in His presence adjusts our perspective and reminds us of our true purpose and value. He knows we need this – often.
The Apostle Paul tells us, “For in Him we live, and move, and exist” (Acts 17:28a). Our vitality, energy, even being itself, depends upon knowing and experiencing God and the fullness of His character. Jesus modeled this: “But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray” (Luke 5:16); “And in the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and prayed there for a time” (Mark 1:35). To be still with the Lord takes discipline and the right priorities. It means choosing Jesus before everything that needs to be done and everyone who wants our attention. It means sitting at His feet and paying attention.
Scripture Reading: Luke 10:38-42
Personal Application: What distracts you from spending time with Jesus? When was the last time you put everything down and focused on connecting with God? You can sense God’s presence and be renewed if you still yourself and take the time to really know Him. Spend some quality time knowing, loving, enjoying, and worshipping the King of kings today.
Jim Grassi, D. Min.
We cherish any verse in Scripture that reminds us to keep focused and intentional about evangelism and discipleship. “But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.” 2 Timothy 4:5