Be Still
Dear God, Sometimes we need to slow down and listen. . . listen to your voice and direction in our lives. Thank you for the interruptions. Help us to recognized them and use them to your glory. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen
Psalm 46:10-11 Be still and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations; I am exalted in the earth.” The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.
A funny thing happened on the way to the LACE board meeting . . .
It is Tuesday following Easter and I along with the other members of the LACE board are headed to airports all over the nation to fly to Minneapolis. Many of us are on church staffs and are happy but a little weary from the rituals and worship of Holy Week. For once I have a flight that doesn’t require me to leave home at 4:30 a.m. and all is well in my world! I arrive at the airport only to find my flight is delayed 40 minutes. That’s okay – I will have just enough time to catch my connection. We board the plane only to be told that, because we are delayed, we have to be rescheduled for takeoff. This requires another 15 minute wait. I am now scheduled to land 2 minutes after my connecting flight takes off. “Be still and know that I am God” pops into my head. I take a deep breath and remind myself that there is nothing I can do except let the flight crew do their job.
As we land in Chicago I know there is no reason to rush. My flight has already departed and I just have to find someone to get me on another flight. Out of habit I look at the departure screen and what do I see . . . my flight has been delayed and I still have 12 minutes to find my gate! I rush to the assigned gate and find out that the gate has been changed and I need to keep going. “Be still and know that I am God.” I arrive at the new gate in time to hear the announcement: my plane is delayed for an hour and forty five minutes. “Be still and know that I am God.”
Finally, two plus hours after I was scheduled to arrive, I land in Minneapolis, only to find that almost every one of our planes were delayed and those meeting us to take us to our Luther Seminary meeting place were still patiently waiting. “Be still and know that I am God.”
As we face the daily annoyances, how do we respond? Do we allow them to rule our lives and make us miserable not only to ourselves, but also to others? Or, do we remember that God is our refuge – our strength. “Be still and know that I am God.” The Lord of hosts is with us; all is well in the presence of God.