ZPCBlog

About the Author: Andrew Brownell and his wife Alexandra have been attending ZPC for 7 years. Andrew and Alex moved to Zionsville 10 years ago and have one 8 year old son, Rhys. Andrew enjoys volunteering in the Great Banquet community, serving donuts and coffee on Sundays, as well as fellowship and study with his Home Group. 

Psalm 46:10 - He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” 

“Be still, ..." These 2 small words are probably the single most challenging thing in the world today. Most of us, including myself, are always on the move, always looking for activities to fill our time; or our time is consumed by a hectic schedule between work life and life away from the workplace. This is especially difficult during the season of Advent leading up to Christmas and the New Year. Whether it’s planning and preparing for your family’s holiday gathering, office party, friends, or the combination of all three, it is very easy to lose sight of those two words, “be still."

The forty sixth chapter of Psalms is a song. There are eleven total verses in the chapter. The chapter starts out stating how mighty God is and states that God is our refuge in times of trouble – twice in fact. It states we should behold the works of the Lord. Then in verse 10, it says simply, “Be still, and know that I am God...” It sounds so simple. Stillness and quietness are required for God to be able to instruct us and lead us on the path he has for us. They are also required for us to be able to listen to his voice for encouragement in those times of trouble so he can be our shelter and refuge. We simply cannot do these things without stillness. 

I saw a person wearing a t-shirt the other day before I wrote this and it had the beginning part of this verse on it. It read like this:
“Be still and know that I am God...”
“Be still and know...”
“Be still...”
“Be...”
What a powerful way to remind others just to simply “be” and be still for God to be the center of your life. I encourage you, not just in this busy time of the holidays, but always, build in time for stillness in your life. It is a crucial part of our walk with God, his son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. Even if it’s 5 minutes of sitting in the car alone with no radio when you pull in the garage after your workday, make time for this stillness. Let God speak to you during this time and make him the center of this Advent season for you. 

Prayer:

Lord God,
I praise you for who you are and everything you have done in my life. I am sorry for letting the hustle and bustle of the world get in the way of the stillness you need to work on me. You are the potter; I am the clay. I thank you for shaping and molding me into the person that you want me to be. I am your vessel today. Let the stillness I create in my life fill me to overflowing so that you can use me to further your kingdom.
Amen. 

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