Drawing Close to God

            We live very distracted lives. With all of the technology available to us, we never truly disconnect from the noise. Social networking has become the master of many people’s lives. I recently saw a report on the news about latest hazard on the street; texting and walking. A person can be listening to music through their ear buds, texting a friend and walk right out in front of a car. Many people are so accustomed to being “plugged-in” all of the time that they have forgotten how to be quiet.

            As followers of Christ, we are just as guilty as everyone else. We fill our lives with all the same distractions. We have been enticed into a 24/7 mindset that allows no room for quiet contemplation and reflection. We think that always being connected makes us more productive. We enjoy the constant stimulation that comes from non-stop entertainment. We convince ourselves that friendship means being instantly available at all times.

            I don’t think God is pleased with all of our self-imposed busyness. God does not need or want our noise. He never intended for us to live 24/7 lives. What God wants, more than anything else, is our undivided attention. We can become so busy, even doing God’s work, that we miss God.

            In Psalm 46:10, King David expresses the very heart of God. "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." Let’s see if we can unpack this powerful verse.

Be Still

            Do you have a hard time being still? The Hebrew word for “still” is “raphah” which means to cease, to stay, to be idle. What is implied is to stop what you are doing. Often, before we can truly draw close to God, we need to stop whatever we are doing.

            Being still is hard for us in our busy world. It is harder and harder for us to slow down. It is also harder to find quiet. We are surrounded by noise most of the time. It is not that we can’t control some of it. Instead we choose to invite noise into our lives.

            If we are going to draw close to God we need to learn how to be still. There are many good excuses for not slowing down, but excuses only keep us at a distant from God. If we want to hear his voice, if we want to know his direction, if we want to feel his love, then we must be still.

    Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; Psalm 37:7a

And know

            We live in an information age. Knowledge is power; at least that is what we are being told. In our pursuit to stay on top of things we cram our heads with information, but do we really know anything?

The Hebrew word for “know” is “yada” which means to properly ascertain by seeing. When David says “Be still and know” he is not telling us to add new data to our database. He is telling us to experience God.  He is inviting us into a different and far better level of knowledge. He is inviting us to encounter God for ourselves.

            Our faith is not solely based on facts. Facts are important, but facts can be cold and sterile. Our faith is based on a relationship with the Living Lord. God does not want us to settle for knowledge about Him but to really know Him.

I am God

            The sin of Adam and Eve, and all the rest of us, is that we want to be God. When David writes “Be still and know that I am God”, he is challenging our understanding of ourselves. In brief, David is saying that God is God and we are not. When we realize that God is God and we are not it frees us from a great burden. We are not responsible for running the world, or even our little corner of it. We are not responsible to make everything right, or correct every problem, or make sure that everyone is happy. We can leave all of that in God’s hands.

            David is also saying that the God who revealed himself to Moses at the burning bush is the ultimate, only true God. When Moses encountered God in the wilderness he asked God for his name. God responded to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.' " (Exodus 3:14)

            If we are going to break free from the trap of living distracted lives, we will need to be very intentional. Here are a few suggestions.

            Plan a regular time each day when you unplug from the distractions of the world. Spend time alone with God and His word. Let Him speak to your soul.

            Set realistic boundaries in your life. Refuse to be a 24/7 person. Determine to shut off your phone, computer, TV and radio at a specific time each day. Give yourself permission to start your day distraction free. Use that time to connect with God

            When you are tempted to fill your life with noise, stop and ask why. Be intentional about your use of entertainment. Don’t just use it to fill up time or escape from reality. Ask God to show you all the things you are missing when you retreat into your private, plugged-in world.  

             David’s profound words in Psalm 46 are an invitation to encounter the ultimate reality. When we let God be God in our hearts we can face all of life with confidence and joy. David did!