Be Still and Know that I am God

Be - Come with who you are, as you are. Come knowing that your personality and individuality are safe. Don't try to empty yourself of your selfhood: rather, acknowledge that selfhood and understand that it is treasured in heaven's eyes.

Still - Having come as yourself, quiet yourself. Not emptiness, but quietness. You spend your days being noisy and hearing noise, and you come with much-needed petitions. But now, come quietly. For the other end of the dialogue.

and - and while you are still . . .

Know - Know. Not "feel," but know. Knowing goes beyond mental apprehension, strikes deeper than emotional rest. Knowing is another look at the foundation of your heart, a reminder of eternal truths that get lost in temporal chaos. Knowing is trusting the utter safeness of God.

that - know this one thing . . .

I - Being still is turning your focus to me, away from yourself. It is understanding, in sober judgment, your own place at the foot of the throne - and beholding not your unworthiness, but the glory, the presence, the love of the Most High. Worries and cares can be put away for a while in the light of the eternal. I am real, and personal. I am not an abstract thought. I am with you.

Am - I am. I have touched you in the past and have ordained hope for your future, but it is now that I speak with you, meet with you, comfort you. Your worries and cares and joys are in the present, and so am I. Because I am, my presence will always be with you; and here, in your stillness, is where I remind you of that in a special way.

God - For all your needs, I will give grace. To your eternal hopes, I will give reality. In every question, I am your wisdom. For each sin, I grant forgiveness. I am the Alpha and Omega: mystery, light, savior, and life. I love you.

© 1996 Paula Marolewski

You have my permission to reprint and distribute this article as long as it is distributed in its entirety, including all links and copyright information. This article is not to be sold or included with anything that is sold.

Paula J. Marolewski provides challenging and interactive adult Bible studies for individuals, Bible studies, small groups, and adult Sunday School classes at Sink Your Roots (www.SinkYourRoots.com). Studies include such topics as Debunking the Myths about Knowing God's Will. The site also offers free weekly Seedlings - “Little thoughts that grow big results.”