“Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”- Psalm 46:10 (NIV)
My day has been anything but still. During the morning I worked on a sketching project, went to a dentist appointment, ran an errand, and went to a doctor’s appointment. After lunch I called and talked to my mom, finished up a work project, delivered my project to work, made muffins for Bible study tomorrow, fed the dog, and I’ll be leaving soon to go to a college seminar with my son. That’s all before dinner. Whew! I’m exhausted already.
Today was packed full of activity and luckily my days are not always like this. But for many, this is a typical day, running frenetically from one activity to another, hour after hour, squeezing one last thing in, until they collapse exhausted at night, to get a few hours sleep and do it all over again the next day. Years ago, I knew one such family. The father of four described their lives as “living without margins.” I pondered that at the time— typically when you type or write, you leave margins (blank space) around the edges. His life was like a piece of paper with writing all the way to each edge (and probably beyond the edge). Every last moment was packed in with activity. There was no time to relax. And definitely no time to be still. I reflect on “living without margins”, as I have done it many times myself. And when I catch myself living that way, I know I need to slow down.
God invites us to “be still and know that I am God.” Stillness does not seem to be part of our culture’s vocabulary. Being still is equated with being unproductive, lazy, and a host of other things. But to God, we need to be still for a couple reasons.
1. To know God is God and praise Him for it.
2. To have our bodies and minds and souls find time to rest in God.
He knows we cannot keep up our frenetic pace without injury to ourselves and others. He knows when we are tied up with so many things that we leave little time for Him. Being still requires a conscience effort. We need to put aside the activity and distractions, sit still, and rest in God. I’m ready to begin putting the margins back into my life. Are you?
Prayer- “God, there are days I am living life with no margins. Sometimes I like all the activity, but other times it exhausts me. Help me to find time to be still and know you in a deeper way. Help me praise you for the incredible God you are. Help me to restore “margins” back into my life so my life will focus on you and all that you intend for me. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.”
Prayer For All Days 