Be Still...and Know

Friday, September 29, 2023

God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.  So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea.  Let the oceans roar and foam.  Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge!  

….“Be still, and know that I am God!  I will be honored by every nation.                          I will be honored throughout the world.”  Psalm 46:1-3, 10

When the storms of life head your way, it becomes an absolute necessity to know and trust the strength of the position you occupy.  It won’t do to start fixing the roof when the raindrops begin.  This is why Scripture constantly tells us, shows us, and reminds us to meditate on God, to study His Word, and trust His strength, rather than our own.  He is our roof, walls, and foundation; He wants us to survive the storms.  So…this morning, let’s meditate on God in the stillness:

Be Still and See His Creation

The Psalmist tells us God created all that we can see, as well as that which we still haven’t discovered.  Take a deep breath and contemplate how God has put you together, intricate, beautiful, capable of great kindness and compassion, having free will to serve goodness or evil; you are fearfully and wonderfully-made.

Be Still and See His Gentleness

With all His power to create the universe, God made sure we would have the tenderness to be gentle with that which is vulnerable.  What trust our God has in us to ennoble us with such gifts that display His image in us.  We are blessed with a family resemblance.

Be Still and See His Kindness  

God did not have to create us, or be gentle with His creation, but rather chose to do so because of His nature to be kind.  Even the covenant word used for God’s promises to all who look to him as Father…the word is lovingkindness.  That is the stuff of His creation and promises.

Be Still and See His Majesty

Mountains, plains, seas, sky, and all that is in them, declare the handiwork of God.  And with all of that to display his glory, God also has not chosen to live in a house made with bricks, mortar, wood, or stone; God lives within the crown of His creation…humankind.  He decorates his abode with love, compassion, and eternal life.

Be Still and See His Mercy

In the storms of our lives, God is there; He cares what we’re going through, and what we’ve learned, how much we’ve suffered, or laughed.  He knows us so fully…every molecule of our body, every thought of our being, every tear we’ve ever shed is collected in His bottle, and He knows every pure or vile thing we’ve thought or done.  And in His mercy, we are loved.

For You Today 

What could we possibly add to Creator, Gentle, Kind, Majestic, and Merciful? 

Tons more…we have just barely touched the slightest glimmer of the grandeur of God’s glory.  And the greater news is, for those who love Him and call Him Father, we will have an eternity to explore all He is, and the greatest measure of His love, Jesus Christ, our Lord.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

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There are about 2,600 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road library.

Title Image(s) courtesy of The Chosen via Wikimedia                      

Images without citation are in public domain.  Unless noted, Scripture quoted from NLT^©   

Wondering About the Big Stuff

 

Friday, January 1, 2021

O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!  Your glory is higher than the heavens.  You have taught children and infants to tell of your strength, silencing your enemies and all who oppose you.  When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—the moon and the stars you set in place—what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them?  Yet you made them only a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor.  You gave them charge of everything you made, putting all things under their authority—the flocks and the herds and all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea, and everything that swims the ocean currents.  O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!  Psalm 8:1-9^(NLT)

When you’re little the big questions always begin with “why”.  Children want to know why they can’t have that whole gallon of chocolate chip ice cream.  They want to know why they must go to bed now.  They want answers!

The questions usually expand with age and curiosity.  If the curiosity continues to grow, and never finds its home in faith, the questions tend to lead down the path to cynicism and despair…and more wrong answers. 

But if faith in the Creator leads anywhere at all, it always comes back to this basic question of WHY; why…me?  Why am I alive: what purpose does this life serve?

The cynics who have come up empty and devoid of faith will say there is no purpose; we are meaningless blobs of protoplasm that have managed to evolve and pollute the earth to the point where it will eventually fold us back into a tangled mess with all the other useless, meaningless beings of all time.  One day this planet will explode or implode; just choose your poison!  

Those who choose to believe this kind of nonsense will also find a way to make a complex answer to every other simple question like two plus two equals seventy-one, unless its Tuesday, in which case I want the answer to be different…I’ll let you know what that answer is if you will just be quiet about God.

But those who have taken the leap of faith will eventually arrive at a more meaningful discovery to the question of “why” – that answer is:  because…God! 

Going back to the beginning of human existence we find the answer to life’s most basic question:

So God created human beings in his own image.  In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them….Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.”  Genesis 1:27, 2:18^(NLT)

We are created in God’s image, with a hunger for relationship (the response God hardwired in each of us because He knew it is not good to be alone).  And since that is so, it is also true of the One in Whose image we are created.  This is the portal of understanding for every other question that begins with Why…? 

It takes faith (and a little common sense) to begin with the answer (God) and work back to where your questions live…but that’s the substance of things not seen; the evidence of things hoped for…that’s the magnificent path of discovery you’ll find when you ask God “why” like a Psalmist!

For You Today

If you’ve ever felt uncomfortable with not having the answers, try resting in the purpose for which God created you in the first place…relationship with Him!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

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[1] Title Image: Courtesy  Pixabay.com

[2] Hebrews 11:1^(NLT)

Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©

For other posts on this text see Wondering About the Big Stuff - Part 2 and Wondering About the Big Stuff - Part 3  

This devotion first appeared on Rocky Road Devotions Friday, August 28, 2017

 

Wondering About the Big Stuff

[1]

Friday, August 28, 2017

O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!  Your glory is higher than the heavens.  You have taught children and infants to tell of your strength, silencing your enemies and all who oppose you.  When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—the moon and the stars you set in place—what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them?  Yet you made them only a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor.  You gave them charge of everything you made, putting all things under their authority—the flocks and the herds and all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea, and everything that swims the ocean currents.  O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!  Psalm 8:1-9^(NLT)

When you’re really little the big questions always begin with “why”.  Children want to know why they can’t have that whole gallon of chocolate chip ice cream.  They want to know why they have to go to bed now.  They want answers!

The questions usually expand with age and curiosity.  If the curiosity continues to grow, and never finds its home in faith, the questions tend to lead down the path to cynicism and despair…and more wrong answers. 

But if faith in the Creator leads anywhere at all, it always comes back to this basic question of WHY; why…me?  Why am I alive, and what purpose does this life serve?

The cynics who have come up empty and devoid of faith will say there is no purpose; we are meaningless blobs of protoplasm that have managed to evolve and pollute the earth to the point where it will eventually fold us back into a tangled mess with all the other useless, meaningless beings of all time.  One day this planet will explode or implode; just choose your poison!  Those who choose to believe this kind of nonsense will also find a way to make a complex answer to every other simple question like:  two plus two equals seventy-one, unless its Tuesday, in which case I want the answer to be different…I’ll let you know what that answer is if you will just be quiet about God.

But those who have taken the leap of faith will eventually arrive at a more meaningful discovery to the question of “why” – because…God! 

Going back to the beginning of human existence we find the answer to life’s most basic question:

So God created human beings in his own image.  In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them….Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.”  Genesis 1:27, 2:18^(NLT)

We are created in God’s image, with a hunger for relationship (not good to be alone).  And since that is so, it is also true of the One in Whose image we are created.  This is the portal of understanding for every other question that begins with Why…? 

It takes faith (and a little common sense) to begin with the answer (God), and work back to where your questions live…but that’s the substance of things not seen, the evidence of things hoped for[2]…that’s the magnificent path of discovery you’ll find when you ask God “why” like a Psalmist!

For You Today

If you’ve ever felt uncomfortable with not having the answers, try resting in the purpose for which God created you in the first place…relationship with Him!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road…have a blessed day!

---

[1] Title Image: Courtesy  Pixabay.com

[2] Hebrews 11:1^(NLT)