The shaded canopy at the trailhead fluttered to the ground, one golden leaf at a time.  The way the pale light filled the forest felt like an invitation to be still and know that I was in the presence of God.  I was in the woods because I’d grown weary from juggling the many commitments in my life.  I was desperate to quiet my soul and draw close to God.

You probably know about the exhausting effort of juggling your commitments.  Your arms grow weary, and you desperately need rest.  In an attempt to rest in God’s presence, you go to a quiet place, but your mind refuses to rest.

When I can’t quiet my mind, I find a few minutes to walk outside.  I breathe deeply and ask the Lord to help me embrace His invitation in Psalm 46:10, which reads: “Be still, and know that I am God.”

 

Be Still and Know He Is God

The original language offers helpful insight into God’s invitation to “be still.”  In Hebrew, the word for “be still” is raphah.  Raphah is more than merely sitting down and silencing our thoughts.  Raphah is an image of letting our hands drop.  It can be translated as “sink” and “relax.”

I appreciate this image.  God is inviting us to let our arms relax as we lean into him and allow him to take care of the many commitments we try to keep afloat in our lives.  He is asking us to let our arms hang loose and surrender control as we let him be God.

One of the best ways to quiet your soul is to create space where you can regularly be still and let God be God.  You might think of it as your “safe space.”  Your safe space might be the silence of your bedroom, a special chair, a tree in your yard, a park down the street, or the only place where moms of little ones ever find peace: locked in the bathroom.

For the next week, I encourage you to begin each day with just a few minutes resting in stillness with God.  Let go of your cares, let your arms hang loose, and thank God for being Lord in your life.  Be still, and let God love you.  God is waiting to meet with you, and he wants to revive your weary soul.

 

Where to Begin

Here’s what it might look like to connect with God in your safe space this week:

Begin your time by resting with the Lord and letting your thoughts settle. Literally, let your arms hang loose as you imagine God caring for you and loving you.  Breathe deeply and slowly.  Thank God for being sovereign over every detail of your life.

George Muller was famous for saying that the first business of each day was to make himself “happy in the Lord.”

 

What would it look like for you to make yourself happy in the Lord?

For me, this looks like sitting by a window and getting lost in the glory of God’s created world.  Some mornings, I light a candle and watch it flicker.  Other mornings, I watch clouds pass by or admire birds at the bird feeder.  I often read poetry, and I almost always begin the day by soaking in a Psalm before I begin my scheduled daily Bible reading.

Most importantly, I remind myself that I captivate Jesus’ heart with just one glance in his direction (see Songs 4:9).  I imagine the joy of his countenance shining upon me as we sit together and enjoy one another.  In the same way, two-year-old Aiden often says, “I’m happy to be with you, Mom,” with childlike faith, I tell Jesus I’m happy to be with him.  I think about the joy that fills my heart when Aiden speaks these words to me, and I relish in the joy the Lord feels when I speak these words to him.  I then sit and enjoy him for a few short moments.  This practice revitalizes my heart.

I encourage you to try these steps.  Rest with the Lord, and tell him you’re happy to be with him.  Let his joy breathe life into your weary soul.