Breathing deeply into the stillness of this moment,
Hear these powerful and ancient words of Psalm.
Be still and know that I am God.
Be still and know that I am God.
Be still and know that I am God.
These famous words from Psalm 46 have a powerful meaning.
The first thing I notice is those first two words.
Be still.
It's not be stressed and know that I am God.
It's not be worried and know that I am God.
It's not be ashamed and know that I am God.
Nor is it be faithful and know that I am God.
Or be righteous and know that I am God.
Or think positive and know that I am God.
It's be still.
Be still.
Be still.
And God will know herself anew in you.
Now if you are a jittery person like me,
It's impossible to just be still.
But it's important to remember that stillness is a metaphor for quieting the mind and with an active listening,
Moving one's awareness to center.
Stillness is what happens when I give up control and come fully present with a humble willingness to experience God.
In this sense,
Stillness happens in my morning meditation,
But also in a burst of exercise and watching my child at play.
Or in that time just before falling asleep.
Stillness can be experienced anywhere and anytime for all that it requires is a willing consciousness.
Can you feel it?
The call of stillness.
And all the chatter in our mind.
It's there.
Back all the traffic of our controlling nature.
It beckons.
It's like a divine commotion expressing as a magnetic pull,
Drawing our awareness inward.
Inward.
Be still.
Be still.
The second part of the psalm that calls my attention is this little statement,
I am.
It's not be still and know me.
It's not be still and remember me.
It's not be still and know the wonder of my creation.
It's be still and know that I am God.
There's something powerful about this phrase,
I am.
It carries a metaphysical meaning.
When we say I am,
We often mean ourselves,
But when we are aware of the presence of God within us,
I am becomes an acknowledgment of the presence within.
The infinite knower.
The calm waters of peace and grace.
One power.
This is the great I am.
To know that when we speak it,
We speak not only of ourselves,
But of the God in us.
If we can just stop and allow ourselves to release ourselves from ourselves,
Just for a minute,
We might just feel arise the most eternal and powerful part of who we are.
That part of us that is already connected to that which we seek in life.
An endless wellspring of love,
Healing,
Vision,
And genius.
Can you feel it?
That rising of an I am presence,
Ready to be known within you,
As you,
And together with the divine source.
To be clear,
When I say I am experiencing God in the I am,
I'm not saying I am God.
I am saying that you and I can discover God in the I am.
We can get still and know I am,
And God announces herself.
Or we might say,
The stillness speaks.
Being still is how we praise God.
Getting quiet is how we exalt God.
To see God's hand in all that is life,
Especially in the making of our own,
Is how we please God.
As it says in Psalm 45,
My heart bubbles forth good news.
My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.
One last thing I love about the statement,
Be still and know that I am God.
It's the wonder of the truth of that statement itself,
That you,
Me,
All of us,
Can experience God through the practice of stillness.
You can experience God through the practice of stillness.
Mother Teresa said,
Just once,
Let the love of God take entire and absolute possession of your heart.
Let it become to your heart like a second nature.
In the silence of the heart,
God speaks.
This is an incredible truth.
It speaks to Jesus' most profound and mystical teaching,
The kingdom of God is within you.
Be still and know that I am God also means,
You don't need a mediator.
You don't need a tool,
Or a talisman,
Or even an insight timer meditation.
You don't need a spell,
Or a special place to go.
It's already there.
It's already in you.
Some might call that metaphysical mumbo jumbo.
I call it the most real and authentic truth there is.
Say to yourself,
I don't need to know why or how,
I just need to be still.
I don't need to remember or forget,
I just need to be still and know.
I don't need to become anyone I am not,
I just need to be still and know I am.
I don't need to reach God through any means,
I just need to be still and to know that I am and that God is right here.
