BE STILL

 "Be still, and know that I am God" Psalm 46:10

How often do we stop, "be still" and acknowledge God as the almighty God above all?  If you're like me, you get caught up in the happenings of life and "stillness" is barely hovering at the edge of the picture.  At such times, we tend to develop that human DIY mentality that sidesteps God, because after all, these are simple daily chores or family issues or whatever, and aren't we quite capable of handling these things ourselves?

It's so easy to fall into this trap of walking along our daily path in our own strength.  Before we know it, days and even weeks have passed and we've become caught up in the world we live in, forgetting to acknowledge that God is still on the throne and still in total control  -- and we are not.  We frequently need to be reminded to stop and realize that not only are we not really in control of our destiny, life loses much of its greatest luster when we fail to make God our center.  Life can start feeling ho-hum, or we might begin to feel overwhelmed - or even empty.  That's not how God wants us to live.

Here's what Sarah Young wrote in Jesus Calling, as if Jesus is saying to us:  "Demonstrate your trust in Me by sitting quietly in My Presence...By waiting with Me before you begin the day's activities, you proclaim the reality of My living Presence...The world is so complex and overstimulating that you can easily lose your sense of direction...When you spend time with Me, I restore your sense of direction."

The photo above was taken in a tiny church with a view of the Grand Teton Mountains in Wyoming.  I love that the large window features a cross in the center.  To me, that is a picture of how Christ should be the center of our lives.  If we will acknowledge and trust Him in all our ways, He has promised to direct our paths.  Your path may not be strewn with roses, but if you're walking that path with our Lord Jesus, He will bring joy and peace as He upholds you through thick and thin.

As I look through the window in the photo at the majestic, towering mountains in the distance, I'm reminded of the beautiful Psalm 121:  "I will lift up my eyes to the hills - from whence comes my help?  My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth....The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade at your right hand.  The sun shall not smite you by day, nor the moon by night...The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore."