knowing god in Stillness

“Be still and know that I am God.”  Psalm 46:1

 We’ve been told that we live in an “information age” and we certainly have no reason to doubt this.  After all, we need only to go to Google or Wikipedia to find the answers to our questions, right? When one stops to think about all the things worthy of knowing, however, many people simply do not seek the one being most worthy of knowing.

Be still and know that Yahweh is God.  We would do well to keep the context of this verse in mind, for it occurs within a worship song of the Israelites unto the One True God—Yahweh. Yahweh affirms to His people that He is in fact the One, True God. Many so-called false gods vie for the attention we should give to the One, True God. We must know at the core of our being that the God of the Bible is the real God, the only God, the eternal, necessarily existent being.  Yahweh is not merely one of many comparable gods, nor is He the creation of humanity’s making, He is the everlasting and superlative being who alone exists of His own power and necessity.

Be still and know.  Since we live in an information age we tend to think of knowledge primarily as theoretical and factual.  Knowledge certainly is factual and mental, but it should be pointed out that the Hebrew word here in this passage for knowledge has an additional layer—it points toward an experiential knowledge of God. There is a substantial difference between knowing God intellectually and knowing God experientially. We need, of course, the former to achieve the latter. We all know that faith is a very personal thing, so it stands to reason that no one can experience God for you. It’s something you must reach out and do. There’s no such thing as “outsourcing your faith.” So how does someone do such a thing?

Be still.  What is the starting point for experiencing Yahweh, the One, True God and Creator of all things? Finding time to simply be still is a great place to start. It is not difficult, but it certainly won’t come naturally.  Set some time aside in quietness and solitude to be still. It’s okay to talk and share your heart and invite Yahweh to reveal Himself to you, but be sure to make time to be still. He longs to have a relationship with you. You simply need to carve out the time to have a relationship with him.  James 4:8 tells us, “Draw near to Him and He will draw near to you.”  Spending time in stillness and openness is a time-tested way of “drawing near to Him.”
 
Question of the Day:
What might happen if I set time aside to be still and know God?