My little ones were bouncing on the trampoline, beckoning me over for our afternoon ritual. We like to play a game of ‘mimicking’, where we take turns devising a unique jump or dance that the others can imitate.
I finished what I was doing, then bounded on to the trampoline, enjoying the feel of flying from one end of the circle to the other. I’d forgotten how eager they were for the game to start and how long they’d been waiting.
‘Mummy,” I heard my six-year-old say. He paused, trying to steady himself as he spoke. “Be still!”
He waited for me to stop, not dictatorial but expectant, wanting to be heard. I steadied my jumping and looked into his face. He was waiting to give me the instructions for his first dance idea.
I smiled at him and his words reminded me of that bible verse from Psalm 46:10: “Be still, and know that I am God.”
Be still… be still…
How easy it is for us to bounce through life without stopping to adopt a stance of stillness. To rest in His presence and listen for His instructions. Our great pilot, who (unlike my son) has the benefit of seeing everything from above. He is aware of the beginning and the end of our lives, and walks with us in each moment, step by step.
We’re all prone to race ahead without receiving His wisdom first. But we can then miss so much of what He has to offer.
I took a look at the rest of that Psalm, and this is what it says:
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts.The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.Come and see what the Lord has done, the desolations he has brought on the earth. He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire. He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.”
Whatever we are facing, we can find refuge in God. He is the source of all our strength, our ever-present help.
I will not fear. I actively choose not to fear. Even though the earth might seem to be giving way. Why? Because there is a river… a place of peace… the place God dwells. A place of ever-flowing grace which equips us to handle all that life dishes out.
And you know what? He merely has to lift His voice and the earth will melt. That’s the God I serve.
The Lord Almighty is with me. My fortress.
And he ain’t no pushover. Breaking the bow and shattering the spear? Who wouldn’t want a protector like the Lord my God?
Be still?
It’s tough, God, but I’m going to choose to be. Because when I ponder, just for a moment, how awesome, powerful, just and loving you are, I know I’m in the right hands. I want to hear your voice above the din of this world.
May you be exalted, God. The glory belongs to you. You will triumph over the darkness, and victory will be yours. May I ever know the joy of gliding in your slipstream, Lord of all…
It's a God thing... 
Beautiful…
Thank you..,
I really needed to hear this today. Thanks much – May I reblog this afternoon?
Ben
That’s awesome Ben. Absolutely, thank you.
This is Wonderful–I loved the story! And, I Needed to hear “Be Still” today–thanks so much, and God bless you abundantly! love, sis Caddo
Great to see you here Caddo, and so glad it hit the mark today. God is good! Be blessed as you rest in Him and his power today x
Just wrote about this topic a couple of days ago….thank you.
Oh wow, will check it out. Thanks for reading mine.
God bless,
Ali
Oh, sweetie, I didn’t mean that you should go & read mine…I just meant that the same kind of thing is on my heart & God is telling me to slow down, stop, listen to me, etc….Blessings to you!
Oh no, I know, I was just saying I’d like to check it out! Thanks, that’s awesome how God has put it on both our hearts 🙂 blessings and hugs,
Ali
Hey, that’s what I wrote about today, too! Awesome! And so very true! Glad I found you. I’ll be back.
Awesome! God is amazing. I’m glad too 🙂
Cool analogy, amazingly well-written post! If only we stopped more often to be still in God’s presence.
Oh thank you so much! Yes may we all slow down and truly hear 🙂
Hope you’re having a great weekend,
Ali
I could just picture this taking place on the trampoline . . and then with God. You have me thinking of how expectant He is, how excited to be able to tell us something , share with us, as we stop bouncing and be still to hear Him. Praying to bounce less and listen more! God bless you and yours, Ali!
Amen Debbie! Thank you, glad the analogy worked well. Yes, may his pull be greater than the desire to bounce around in our own strength 🙂 blessings,
Ali
Thank you for the message, God Bless You.
– Inked Pen
Thank you, appreciate you reading it 🙂
Blessings,
Ali
This message is certainly the Word of the week! On blogs and in my own life through various media– PONDER— is not a thread through the week but more like a Whack-Um-I-Want-Your-Attention and I’m the mole! Hopefully He won’t have to flick me across the head before I get it!! TOO much! Be Blessed D
Yes… wow, just based on what I’ve seen, and comments here, you’re definitely right! I think God is trying to tell us all something. Hehe, sounds like you’ve got it, no head-flicking needed I’d say 🙂 Blessings to you too,
Ali
Hi Ali, I loved what you said that “I choose not to fear because there is a river of peace where God dwells, A place of ever-flowing grace that equips us to handle all that life dishes out. Beautiful! Blessings of peace to you today.
Joy
Thanks so much Joy! May you keep finding refuge and peace in that place 🙂 Thanks for reading and encouraging me,
Ali
“An ever-present help in time of trouble”. So key to remember this. Very encouraging post, thanks!
Thank you, He sure is! 🙂