Practice Stillness to Overcome Adversity

Psalm 46:10—He says, “Be still, and know that I am God.”

This verse is one of those short easy ones to commit to memory, but is it one that you have ever taken the time to think about deeply?  What does it really mean, and how are we supposed to be still and know that God is God?  This morning as I was practicing yoga, we came to the midway point in class where we get a two-minute savasana.  Savasana means “corpse pose,” and we all lie on our mats very still and very quiet for two minutes.  Some people think this is the hardest pose of the class because it is so difficult to lay still both in body and mind.  What the teacher said today brought this verse to mind instantly—she said, “Everything in this class is about overcoming adversity.  It’s hot, you are pushing and pulling your body to do things you don’t normally do, and your mind is telling you all the while that you can’t do it.  Savasana is the time to practice being still.  You have to practice being still so that you can overcome adversity.”  God promises us that He is always with us—He is the one who carries us through every trial and triumph—He is the One who helps us overcome adversity.  What’s more, without Him our existence is meaningless.  So, we must practice stillness.  We must practice quieting down our minds and relaxing our bodies so that we can truly know God.  He is ready to reveal Himself to us—we are the only thing standing in the way.  Through stillness, we can intimately come to know our God who conquers all adversity.

Today as you meditate and pray, concentrate on stillness.  Find a place of quiet, even if it is only for two minutes.  Quiet every thought in your mind and every movement in your body.  Speak to God and tell Him that you are prepared to hear Him.  Praise Him through you meditation of stillness and shut down the chatter in your mind so that you can hear Him as He speaks to you.  Worship God through peaceful stillness.