Sermonette: May 11, 2020

Be still. It is said several times throughout the Bible, and is quite a popular phrase among the home décor section of Hobby Lobby.

He says, “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

The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.

Exodus 14:14

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.

Psalm 37:7

It seems we have heard God’s call for us to be still, but are we actually implementing it into our lives? As a culture, we have become incredibly busy. Do more. Hustle Harder. Fill your schedule. Speed, productivity, hurry, efficiency— these have become the air we breathe, and it has become easy to get swept up in them.

But, let’s look at Jesus. He was never in a hurry. Think about it. Do we ever read of Jesus hustling to a new city because he was going to be late for a sermon or healing? Jesus shows us the greatest example of stillness. He habitually sought out solitude to meet with the Father. He walked with those around him, present in the moment, open and looking to being led by God.

Several months ago, I read a book called “To Hell With the Hustle,” by Jefferson Bethke. It’s about how to handle stressors, embrace obscurity, and become comfortable with solitude and silence, to walk faithfully with the Lord. I was challenged by the idea of stillness presented in the book.

At the time I read this, I was so uncomfortable with silence that I couldn’t fall asleep without listening to a podcast or the lull of a TV show. The first few times, I really tried to be still before the Lord, I thought, are these seriously the things going on in my brain?!

Stillness and silence bring up all the things inside us we don’t want to deal with, whether it be idols we are putting before God, past guilt or something else. Being still brings up an opportunity to take those things, process them and sit at the feet of Jesus with them. This is where we hear God’s voice and are reminded that we are forgiven, beloved, made in his image, adopted into his family and fully known. These truths allow us to be centered, anchored and firm. When we are still, we can hear God’s voice amidst the chaos around us.