Be still

So I have this verse sitting right by my back door-

"Be still and know" Psalm 46:10

I've always thought of my quiet time as taking time each day to get still. Listening to God. I've thought this was all it meant. Until I realized it might not be.

I live in a perpetual state of hurrying and to do lists, calendars and getting on to the the next thing. I schedule when to "get quiet" and when to relax a little. Now, I'm definitely not saying being organized is bad. I think being on time for things and having a plan for the day is a REALLY good thing. However, not being flexible enough to be able to slow down throughout the day when needed is not a good thing. Not being aware of the needs of others throughout the day, even if they interfere with my own plans... That might be a problem.

So, what's the opposite of still? Moving, active, even rushing about.
That means I need to ask myself:

Why am I always in a hurry? 

Why do I feel the need to always be on plan, on schedule?

I've found the answer is likely, that hurrying, rushing, and sticking to my plan, helps me to feel like I'm in control. 

Guess what? God is not in a hurry. And, God is in control. Not me.

Also, if we read the entire verse, it doesn't just say "Be still and know". It says, “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”

I don't think this means to remind myself once a day in my quiet time that He is God. No, I think it means in all things, in my daily routine, in the mundane and the really hard parts, I need to be focused on knowing that he is God.  I need to know, internally, that I should not fear, or try to be in control, because He is.

He has things planned for me along the way, throughout my day, that I could NEVER plan for. He has people for me to minister to, to friend, to simply smile at. But sometimes I'm so focused on what's next that I'm sure I miss a lot of these opportunities.

Yes, intentional time spent intimately with God is important. But, I also need to find a way to still the thoughts in my head throughout the day so that I am focused more on what's God speaking to me, than what's next on the list. I need to not be so caught up in my own thoughts that they drown out his voice.

I'm going to work on practicing this breath prayer this week: