"Be still and know that I am God..." Psalm 46:10
Last night my mom showed me an old-fashioned alarm clock that was my Great Aunt Anne’s, (my secret namesake as my middle name is Dianne. 😉 ) I loved my Great Aunt Anne - she was like a mama to my own mom…she never had children, but I think the Lord allowed a special bond between the two in order to fill a void each felt.
Born in 1906, Aunt Anne came to age in an era where wearing pants for a woman was just, “no”, and yet she did. Traveling across the country on a train by herself was also just, “no”, and yet she did. I loved her. She was a pioneering trail-blazer who was born well before her time and yet she always had time to sit and be still with you…So as my mom shared the stories behind her old alarm clock, I was also thankful for the, “be still moment” with her 🙂 My mom and I have the privilege of sharing an office, serving side by side at the school my husband and I helped co-create seven years ago this January. I love serving there and yet I know my flesh tendency is to NOT be still. Leading up to our week-long Thanksgiving break I had been burning the candle at both ends…staying up WAY past my usual bedtime only to awaken the next morning at 4:45 a.m. to go workout with my husband. I hadn’t chosen many, “still moments” with my mom, and my quiet moments with the Lord became shorter and shorter until I finally brought my Bible to work one morning hoping to sit and soak during a brief lunch break, but even lunch was pushed to the back burner that day… All that to say, I started to feel not-so-awesome last Saturday, and then Monday I was hit full force with some bout of sickness, causing me to pause in my tracks and spend the next three fever-filled days secluded in my darkened bedroom, missing my youngest son’s 16th birthday celebration. 😷😔 Such a tremendous miss on my part that didn’t need to happen had I only taken the time to pause…
pausing to rest, pausing to refuel my body, pausing to spend still moments with my mama, and maybe most importantly,
pausing to simply, “Be Still” with my loving God who desires relationship above any sort of religion or rules of doing.
It is of no surprise to me that at 2:00 a.m. this morning, the Lord gently nudged me awake with this simple phrase,
Literally stop. 🛑
I rubbed my eyes a bit and whispered, “Wait, what, Lord? Literally stop what?” I felt like He replied with the sweetest correction and encouragement that only a Father could offer. To be honest, it felt like a sort of, “Prescription to Push Pause”. When I looked up the word, “prescription”, I discovered that it means, "to write before." That made me smile because the next thing He whispered was just that, a word spoken before the day even began instructing me to pause.. He replied to my question with this:
My beloved, stop and let the morning start without you...
I will say this again because I am sure that these words are a shock to your system: Stop and let the morning start without you... Be still in My Presence and let the cadence of these pausing moments set the rhythm of your day. You might find it refreshingly peculiar how these “late starts” actually place you ahead, all because of your decision to follow Me into a place of rest even before the race begins... Yes, my beloved, be still with Me and know that I AM God. I AM Father Time. Time acquiesces to my bidding, willing to speed ten steps forward or fall ten steps behind simply at my command. Yes, even time will pause for Me. When you choose to be still with Me, you will have the opportunity to watch Me work this same miracle in your life. Test Me and see that I AM a good Father whom you can take at My Word. The few fleeting moments you choose to reside in my royal Presence will return to you with great dividends! Watch with great anticipation as I
multiply your minutes,
increase your ingenuity
and cover you with my creativity
simply because you have chosen to let the day start without you, seeking instead the peace of my loving Presence.
I AM your Father who loves you. I AM The One Who Knows Best. I AM ever with you. Keep stride with Me alone, letting Me set the rhythm of your heart and the cadence of your day.
Be still and know that I AM God.
Receive my Prescription to Push Pause. I AM giving you permission. Breathe in the peace of my living and loving Presence. Be filled with all of Me in the pause and watch the Prince of Peace lead you, cover you and follow in your wake. Signed, Your Father who loves you enough to prescribe you to be still and is willing to bend time for your favor
May this be a sweet word of encouragement that speaks to you during this wonderful (and potentially busy) time of year. May you take a moment each day to pause with the Prince of Peace so that His Peace might also lead you, cover you and follow in your wake!
Psalm 46:10; Isaiah 41:10; Isaiah 38:8; Joshua 10:13
I have included this particular link to, "Prince of Peace" by Hillsong, as it is sung live on the steps of the Temple Mount. It is an incredible soaking song whose lyrics usher the listener into the peace-filled presence of the Lord.