“Be Still”

“Be Still.” I struggle with these words from Our Lord. Do You? In our culture, activity/achievement is greatly praised. We label ourselves productive as we check off our “To Do” lists. Food Shopping…done. Pick up dry cleaning…done… and so on… Our days are consumed by “must dos”. The word consumed implies an overwhelming activity and that is exactly what being a slave to our “to dos” does – it consumes us, leaving us emotionally drained. It also keeps us focused on the earthly realm and dampens our walk with Christ. Distracted, we often inadvertently find ourselves placing Our Lord low on our priority list. This is, quite frankly, an affront to him.

The Bible tells us in several verses to be still. The act of being still implies quiet contemplation. When we seek the Lord, we are to do so without distraction. The day’s cares should be irrelevant as we meet him in a blessed peace.

The importance of placing communion with Christ over busyness is highlighted in Christ’s words to Martha, sister of Mary. During Jesus’ visit with the sisters, Martha rushes about. She is worried about serving the Lord and thus completing the tasks involved. Her sister Mary, however, sits at their Master’s feet, gazing at him with rapt attention:

Luke 10:41-42 KJV

⁴¹ And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:

⁴² But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

Should we complete important tasks in a timely manner? Definitely, there is a particular satisfaction in a job well-done. Most importantly these tasks should be done with godly intent:

1 Corinthians 10:31 KJV

Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

So seek the Lord in the Still. Our “to-do” lists can often wait (even if that means arising early to give the Lord our full attention). Let’s start our day with earnest prayer and spend quality time in God’s Word.

Our undivided attention pleases Our Lord greatly.

-Melanie DiLeo