In the Stillness

I love music, and I love worship. More and more songs have been released in recent years that come with anthemic, soaring melodies and lyrics that can feel like a battle cry you sing at the top of your lungs. I love it. I love when a song becomes a prayer, or a declaration of the goodness of God. But recently, I’ve absolutely loved the quiet moments. There’s been worship music released that has stripped away so much. Often it’s just vocals, piano, strings, and organic sounds like rain, wind, and the rustling of leaves. There’s a tenderness to it and a vulnerability in it that (to me) isn’t carried as much in the anthemic moments. Many times, the anthems we sing are born out of desperate cries to God in impossible moments. I picture the writers of the songs putting melodies to difficult prayers or declarations of who God is in a moment to them. In the lyrics of these songs-- sometimes sung at a volume barely louder than a whisper--I find a way to articulate the prayers I had previously been unable to utter, and I am able to enter into rest.

I think this season can force a stillness for us. Even though we may be isolated within the walls of our homes, fear and anxiety have every opportunity to make this time be busy, noisy, unproductive, frustrating, even angering. What if we didn’t allow it to steal away our opportunity to be still? What if we didn’t allow anything to stand in the way of the time that we can spend being still, waiting on God, and spending time with Him?

BE STILL. Psalms 46:10 begins with “Be still, and know that I am God”. BE STILL. Two words. Two very short, simple words. Yet, we can struggle so much to be still. We fight hard against it. I will allow fear, anxiety, questions, and just over-analyzing everything come before stillness. But it’s in the stillness where I find peace in my heart and soul, and I can rest. It’s in the stillness that I can surrender all things to God. I can lay everything at His feet, empty my hands, and receive what He is trying to give. He wants my time; He wants to be the object of my affection, but my attention has been divided among so many other things. When I take the time to fix my gaze on Him, I enter into stillness. I don’t have to fix anything, or make it perfect before I come to Him. I can simply lay it down as it is—imperfect and broken—and come to Him as I am—imperfect and broken.

BE STILL AND KNOW THAT HE IS GOD. A big part of the constant swirl in my mind is feeling like everything is up to me and will fail if I leave it for anyone else to do. As weird as it is to say I have to remember to let God be God, remember that I am not Him, and just be still. There is so much peace and comfort in knowing that I can be still while God is simultaneously working and being my peace.

Stillness can look different for everyone. Perhaps its a physical stillness, and you need to find the time to physically be still and without distraction. Perhaps it’s a mental stillness; that you find your rest and stillness in worship and prayer while performing small tasks. Whatever works best, I encourage you to find the way that your heart and mind can find stillness, and enter into the peace and rest that God gives us!