Be Still

"Be still, and know that I am God."  (NIV)  Psalm 46:10

This morning I woke up and heard this noise from our bathroom window.  It didn't sound like a snow blower (we have heard MANY of those lately).  It didn't sound like a motor of any kind, but it was quite loud.  As I opened up the window to determine which direction it was coming from, there was a part of me that was relieved the noise wasn't coming from inside - it was definitely outside.  Still perplexed I stood still and just listened.  I then realized it was the sound coming from the river.  Our property is abutted to the Merrimack River.  It is a fairly fast-moving river that runs from mid-New Hampshire down into Massachusetts.  

During the time we have lived here, the river has been the source of many different feelings.  It was the source of fear when the river flooded and closely reached our home (talk about the Grace of God - but that's another blog).  It was the source of happiness as our children have caught fish from the river over the years.  It was the source of wonder as you can see many of God's little creatures in it.  It has also been the source of enjoyment as we have seen boats, kayakers, and even a sea plane in the river.  

Today, it was the source of stillness in my soul.  I was truly mesmerized by the beautiful ice as it formed and moved down the river.  Yet, the greatest sense of stillness came in the sound - the thing that brought me to the river in the first place.  The sound of moving ice - the stillness moving - was an incredible sound.  One part of me felt that it was a very ominous sound - that the "heavy" moving of the water was this force that one couldn't stop.  The greater part of me felt it was a sound of peace.  I could have stood by that window all morning, listening and just "being still".

This moment took me to other times when I have felt this way.  It is when I finally stop and am just "still" in my Lord.  When the moments of my life weigh heavily on me and I don't know where to turn.  It is in those moments I know I need to go and just "be still" in my Lord.  Sometimes, it happens near this same river.  Other times, my bedroom, a car, my office, or other places within my day.  At those points, it is the omnipotent God that takes over.  Much like the moving ice, I know that when I take the time to be still with God, a force that can't be stop comes moving toward me.  This force is one of being bathed in a sense of peace.  Whatever in life that got me to the point of stillness just stops, and God's love rushes over me.  

What brought me back to those moments is a creation from God, this beautiful river.  What had me be still was a gift from God, his grace and mercy.  All of it changed my day.  Today, for me, has been a day of joy, of love, of giving, of hope, of prayer, of God.    Our lives get busy.  Some of you have many different parts of your lives pulling at you all at once.  This week, I know I am going to take some time (I will try for each day), to be still in God.  Not ask Him for anything, just to be with Him, as if He was sitting right next to me.  I can't wait for the blessings I will receive throughout this week.  Will you try it with me?  Take some time to just be still.  I am going to try it for 15 minutes (for those of you who know me - this will be a big achievement for me).  Yet, I will try and I KNOW I will be blessed.  Here's to a week of blessings in front of us.  Be Still!