This week is the eye in the midst of the hurricane in our schedule. I'm worn out and a bit brain-scrambled coming off four months of pure crazy, looking forward to more of the same starting Saturday, and realizing how much must be accomplished in the next five days to make the next few months work.
I posted that as part of a Facebook status on Monday. We accomplished much but not nearly enough on Monday. Yesterday I tried to hit the ground running and just ended up feeling like one of those cartoon characters whose legs are running frantically but who never move from their starting point.
As I breathed a prayer for the day and the tasks thereof, Psalm 46:10 came immediately to mind. So thankful for years of encouragement and accountability to memorize Scripture so that it is there for the Holy Spirit to bring to the forefront when needed! "Be still, and know that I am God."
Be still...not easy in today's world, and yet so, so necessary that we prioritize the time to just be still in His presence, to get into His Word, to meditate on it, and to communicate with Him in prayer. Be still...
...And know that I am God...such simple words, and yet mind-blowing, if we truly rest there and ponder. In the stillness yesterday morning, I spent some time studying verses from our Behold Your God study on "God's rule". Reading (and writing) through a list of verses about God's sovereignty and ultimate right and will to rule every facet of the universe (including and especially us), gave me a new focus and view for the day.
A couple of quotes from yesterday's study:
Who our Master is will determine how we serve Him. The measure of His dignity and rule must be the measure of our obligation and privilege in serving Him.
The attribute of God's sovereignty teaches us that God possesses and exercises the solitary right to do all His pleasure with all His creation, without explanation or interference.
~John Snyder, Behold Your God
Scripture References: Psalm 103:19, 1 Timothy 6:15, Psalm 24:1, Colossians 1:16-17, Romans 11:36, Isaiah 40:23-24, Daniel 7:13-14, Psalm 93:1-2
From there, I went to the piano to practice music for Sunday. I hadn't settled on an offertory yet, and as I played through some possibilities, I came across the hymn "Jesus Shall Reign". As I played through the arrangement, the words to these verses kept scrolling through my mind, and I was struck at how perfectly they correlated with the verses I'd read earlier. I'd found my offertory. :)
LOVE these words! Such truth. He reigns! Nothing that Satan or any earthly power can do can change that. There is no place we can go to hide from that. Jesus shall reign where'er the sun does its successive journeys run...Let every creature rise and bring honor and glory to our King.
My list seems to be getting longer instead of shorter, and the time in which I have to accomplish it continues to shrink. There are all kinds of things swirling around us, good and not-so-good, right now that make my mind swim if I let them.
The solution to the brain scramble and the anxiety that attempts to accompany it is not to work harder (although diligence is definitely in order). It is not to get better organized (although organization is a fabulous help). It's not to psych myself up to have a good attitude (although my heart should certainly be joyful).
The key, as God continues to teach me, is worship. It is the cure for the troubled soul. Being still, and knowing that He is God. Acknowledging that He reigns, above all. Seeking Him and knowing Him as He is, such as our little finite minds are able.
In the midst of life's crazy, we must stop and be still. But don't stop at being still! That may give temporary relief, but on its own, it's not the answer. Be still, and know that He is God. Dig into the Word. Cover it all in prayer. Meditate on what He says about Who He is.
What is God teaching you right now? I'd love to hear in the comments!
Super-simple Bible journaling today, in an old ledger that belonged to my grandfather *heart*. Pilot G-2 1.0 pen and assorted washi tape. :)
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