Be Still and Know

Photo:Romeo Koitmae

"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth."
Psalm 46:10

Stillness. God calls us to be still in a world where there are constant distractions. It is possible to never achieve complete quiet in our busy lives. Our homes are filled with the noise of TV, radio, computers, neighbours, aircraft, trains, cars etc. etc. What an effort it is to just sit and meditate without the temptation to get up and do this and that.

Some years ago I went on my first retreat in an Anglican convent. The very first service I attended there was in complete silence. At first I was unsure what I was meant to be doing, but as time went on, maybe after about 15 minutes or so, I began to feel lost in it all, in a very profound way. There was palpable sense of something, or someone being present in an awesome, inexplicable way. I believe that I sensed the Presence of God, for me in a new way.

The challenge is to have the discipline to find these moments in our busy lives so that we can go back to our roots and enable our spirits to be fed and refreshed.