Focusing on One Thing
Lately, we've been spending some time talking about our “happy places.” Whether we hit the road, catch a flight, or retreat to a recliner, we all seek rest.
If you were too busy for last week's post, no shame. You're here now. I'd encourage you to take a few moments and give this series a quick read. Today, we're keeping the "happy place" love going.
We've realized this "happy place" starts with our minds. Our thoughts are powerful. God commands us to be still - not just our actions, but our thoughts.
He purposely places us in seasons of slowness so we can be still before Him. More than anything, He wants relationship with us - He wants us to experience His presence. These seasons of slowness give us the margin in our days to see what we may otherwise miss.
And it's usually in these seasons of slowness when we long to see Him the most.
Thinkers and Feelers
Whether with your foot or on the face of your watch, have you ever found yourself tapping your impatience at God?
Not our proudest moments. But, I'm right there with ya.
I'm impatient. I know it. It drives me absolutely crazy. It's as if I need God to remind me every moment of every day He has not forgotten me.
That's how quickly I forget.
The closest followers of Jesus felt this, too. They'd see God do miracles before their very eyes one moment and then find themselves in fear and doubt the next.
The thing is, I know in the depths of my being God's timing is always perfect and He's moving even when I can't see it.
I know this. I know this. I know this.
But, it's not enough to know.
We're not just thinkers. God created us with incredibly intricate minds, but He didn't stop there.
He also made us feelers. He created us with beautifully delicate and sensitive hearts and emotions.
We can't tell our way to peace. We can't say, "I'm at peace! I'm at peace! I'm at peace!" And then all of a sudden, all of our worries dissipate.
We need to feel it. We need to experience the truth.
I often pray for God’s presence to be tangible in my life and those around me. Indeed, I long to feel His nearness.
So yes, I know in the depths of my being God's timing is always perfect and He's moving even when I can't see it, but I also need my heart to feel this, too.
Maybe we can substitute “experience” for “know” to help us understand this all the more.
Be still and experience that I am God.
In our busyness, we experience stress and worry and emotional highs and lows rather than God’s rest and constancy.
A Commanding Gift
As we're practicing the stillness God commands for us, we are ready for the command within this command.
It's like a gift wrapped inside a gift.
But it's a command.
Commands and gifts don't typically seem synonymous, but God's ways are not our ways. With God, commands are gifts - His commands give us life and help us experience this life to the full!
Be still and know that I am God. - Psalm 46:10
It’s not enough to be still. We need to be focused on one thing in this stillness.
The one thing being - He is God.
We could devote our entire lives to this one thought and never fully grasp it. His vastness and omnipotence and power is beyond our earthly understanding.
And because He is God, He is moving. He is working on our behalf. He has put His plans in motion. They will not delay.
Even when we can't see Him, it doesn't diminish His presence or His omnipotence.
Remember the sunrise? Well, even when I can't see the sunrise behind the fog, it doesn't mean it's not there. It is still there; it is still moving!
Day did not delay a single second because my vision of it was impaired. God keeps creation in motion, and we are His most treasured creation. He will not delay with us either!
As we're still, we need to remember who He is.
We need to retreat and get away from the distractions and noise so we can focus our minds on Him. It's in these moments that we are able to remember and reflect and refocus.
How has He moved in your life?
How have you seen Him throughout the scriptures?
He's the same, changeless God then and now. And tomorrow. And the next day.
This truth settles in my heart as I realize this is the "happy place" He has for us. We don't have to go somewhere to find it. We can experience the peace and trust of His presence every moment of every day or night - whether we see the sun or the shadows or the foggy way before us.
God is limitless. He just wants a humbled and surrendered heart to work through. A heart that is at rest - that is still, able to notice and experience His power, and knows...
He is God.
I am not. You are not.
We don't have to know everything. We only have to know one thing.
Be still and know He is God.
Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God. - Corrie ten Boom
We experience renewed strength as we refocus our attention on our capable heavenly Father. We experience joy in seeing His glory and His power at work all around us. We experience peace when we choose to be still and know He is God. We experience rest as we see Him as the center - the constant - directing the rhythms of our days.
He's everywhere and in everything.
Can He turn a not-so-happy moment into a happy place?
I believe He can. Actually, I know He can. I’ve experienced it.
He took what could have been a year of pain for me and turned it into a year of nearness with Him and renewed purpose for my life. A year I thought I'd want to just get through and forget into a year I'll treasure and remember forever.
Because of Him.
He's not a respecter of persons. If He did it for me, He'll do it for you.
Let's invite Him into our lives today. Let's watch in awe and wonder as He surprises us with reminders of His constancy and presence in the most tangible ways to us and those around us.
The good life, well it starts with a good day. Then another. Then another. Let's choose to live #TheGoodDay one day at a time.
I love hearing from you, so go ahead. Leave a comment. Be brave. Maybe your comment will speak life into someone else!
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