“Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10
Are you all ready for Christmas? I didn’t think so. There’s so much to do! Decorating inside and out, buying gifts, baking cookies, wrapping, addressing and mailing cards, preparing for and attending parties – the list goes on and on. Our normally chaotic pace of life becomes absolutely frantic this time of year. The problem is that I was already struggling to find time to just relax, to breathe, to experience the presence of God in my life. When we add in all the other “duties” this time of year brings, it can be overwhelming. We may be preparing to celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace, but we feel nothing but harried and exhausted. And we often feel like a failure because we didn’t get it all done.
God calls us to a completely different experience. He wants us all to Himself. He wants some time with just you, not you plus a list of a thousand to-do’s rushing through your mind. He wants us to relax, to listen to Him, to be aware of His nearness. The Bible says He’s a jealous God. That concept can trip us up sometimes because we think of jealousy the way we experience it – that green-eyes monster that feels awful and makes us think, say and do crazy things. That feeling that’s so very “me” centered. But that’s when we’re jealous OF something. God isn’t jealous OF anything. He’s jealous FOR us. He wants us to spend time with Him for two reasons. One is He loves us and likes us that much. But the other is because He knows how much we need that. He knows that when we skimp on our time with Him, we begin to lose sight of Him and His will and desires for us. We focus more and more on our circumstances and less and less on the One that has already overcome them.
When we’re already so busy, how in the world do we find time for one more thing? When it feels like our days are already fuller than we can handle, how can we find time to slow down and be with God? That’s the challenge I’ve been facing lately. I know I need to spend more time with Him. Besides, I really want to! But how? First, I looked at my schedule to determine what can be eliminated, at least temporarily. Some things are non-negotiables. The job has to stay. Cleaning house (unfortunately) must be done. But do I really need to put up outside Christmas lights? I decided that for this year, it’s not a necessity. Baking Christmas cookies is not a necessity. If you have kids at home, that might be more necessary. But maybe there’s something else that can be eliminated. Do we really have to attend every party to which we’re invited? “No” is an okay response!
Beyond cleansing my schedule of the unnecessary items, I’ve also tried to find some extra moments in my day. I had been looking for extended times with God. I hope to have those again, and soon. But for now, when do I have just a few minutes and how can I use that time to be with God? Something I started doing is using my drive time coming home from work. I started listening to a daily devotional during that time but then decided I’d rather listen to God’s word. So now after work, I get in my car, pull up an audio Bible and spend that time relaxing into God’s word for me. I realized that as I am pulling out of the parking lot and the reading is beginning, I now breathe a huge sigh! It’s like even my body is relaxing along with my mind and spirit. I’m amazed how spending those few minutes with God reenergizes me for what still lies ahead in my evening. That’s why God tells us to be still. And know. Know Him. He is God. God will be exalted. All the nations of the earth will see him exalted. No one and nothing can stop that and I look forward to that day. But we can know that experience right now if we’ll just be still.