Be Still

I feel like I'm in the eye of a storm. You know the place, the quiet in the middle of the chaos. Everything surrounding me is in turmoil, uncertainty. I feel like I'm almost under a cone of silence. The sounds of the storm seem muffled, and I feel almost detached from everything I see swirling about. It's a little surreal.

Perhaps it's the "peace that surpasses understanding" that God promises in the bible. (Philippians 4:7) I have been praying a lot. Since the first of the year I've been consistent in my devotionals, constant in my prayer journaling. I have been continually drawing near. It makes me wonder if that's the source of my "cone."

The voice of the Lord seems somewhat muffled too though. Sort of.

It's sort of like being inside the house on a stormy night. Here in California, it makes me think of the nights when the Santa Ana winds blow. You can hear the eerie distant sounds outside. You can hear the power, but you don't feel it. Then suddenly, the wind will slam something against the house, and the suddenness of it shocks you. You are suddenly awakened from the mesmerizing sound of the storm.

That's what the voice of the Lord has been like. Sudden, shocking, and then it's muffled again by the muted sounds of the storm. But in the moment, it's profound.

Looking outside my cone reminds me of the scene from The Wizard of Oz. Remember when around the house things went swirling about? Antennae, trees, a chicken coop, even the mean old neighbor on her bicycle. Except unlike Dorothy, I feel completely stationary, still.

The Lord tells us to be still. "He says, “Be still, and know that I am God..." Psalm 46:10 Still.

Be.

Still.

Why?

Because He is God.

He is God of the storm.

He is Lord over the wind.

Be.

Still.

He is not moved.

He is the cone.

The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Psalm 46:11

The Lord is near. Philippians 4:5

The things I've heard Him say, will not be easy. When I think about it with my own practical wisdom, it says "NO!" to what I hear the Lord saying.

But practical wisdom aka wisdom of the world aka common sense, has no power over the storm.

Thus my heart was grieved,
And I was vexed in my mind.
I was so foolish and ignorant;
I was like a beast before You.
Nevertheless I am continually with You;
You hold me by my right hand.
You will guide me with Your counsel,
And afterward receive me to glory.

Whom have I in heaven but You?
And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.
My flesh and my heart fail;
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

For indeed, those who are far from You shall perish;
You have destroyed all those who desert You for harlotry.
But it is good for me to draw near to God;
I have put my trust in the Lord GOD,
That I may declare all Your works.
Psalm 73:21-28

I will be still, I will listen.

He is God.