Strength for Today

I have been in the hospital since Sunday with pneumonia and cough syncope. I am sorry not to have been able to provided any "Strength for Today" for you. I will try today. During my stay in the hospital a verse came to me one night, Psalm 46:10. That verse says, "Be still, and know that I am God." Sometimes before we can know that the Lord is God we need to be still. As I lay in my hospital bed, I thought alot about this. I am not in charge, God is. My life is in His hands. Each time I struggle for breath, I need His help. He created me, redeemed me, and sustains me. I know that He is the great Creator. I know that He cares for me. I know that I depend upon Him totally for help in every realm of my life. It is good to know that we have a loving, caring God who hears and will answer our prayers according to His perfect will. Here is another thing I know from Scripture about God. "For I am the LORD who heals you" (Exo. 15:16). That is what I need and am asking for right now. But you don't have to be sick to be still and know that the Lord is God. Be sure to have some quiet time with God today so that you know Him better through prayer, meditation, and reading or quoting His Word.

"Be still and know that I am God." Evelyn once stenciled those eight words on the mantel of our fireplace. We had six children and the eight of us needed to see, ponder, and obey those words at some point in the day! Do you know how hard it is to practice this verse today? "Be still and know that I am God." There is so much noise around us and much of it we manufacture ourselves with idle chitchat, turning on talk radio, tuning in to our favorite music station, or listening to our ipods or whatever they call them (I do not have one). You can hardly go anywhere today without being "assaulted" by sound. Music, or what passes for it, is constantly blaring in restaurants, grocery stores, and now even at the gas pump when you fill your tank with overpriced gasoline. Yet the Good Book says, "Be still and know that I am God." So we must do that -- somehow, somewhere. It is up to each of us to find a quiet place and have a quiet time with God. Church is actually one of the most difficult places to do that these days. That's why I like going to church in Poland where folks come in, sit down, and meditate in silence before the service begins. If we cannot be still and know that God is God in church, where can we? You may have to get in your car and drive out into the country or a deserted place to do this. But do it we must once in awhile or we will find ourselves constantly hearing other voices and subjecting ourselves to the noise of nonsense unto our distraction, distress, and lack of discernment. "Be still and know that I am God." Or, as Tony Campolo once said, "Shut up before the Lord thy God!"