Faith & Insight: The value of stillness

Psalm 46:10 reads, “Be still and know that I am God.”

Think with me for a moment, when was the last time you were still?

“Still” meaning no distractions, no television, no radio, no iPod, no Internet, no texting, no Facebook, no phone conversation, no books, nothing. Just being still, in a quiet place, alone with God.

Many people pride themselves on their ability to multi task — that is, to handle more than one task at the same time. I see it often ... people driving and eating, talking on the phone, texting, and, yes, I’ve even seen people reading a book while driving down the highway!

Whether you are an attempted multitasker or not, our lives can be busy and overflowing with responsibilities and activity. Stillness and solitude, well, we just don’t set aside the time.

Psalm 46 doesn’t say we should be still, if we have the time, but we should make time to be still and focus our thoughts and prayers on God.

Personally, the time I spend in stillness and solitude with God is my most valuable and rewarding time. As the psalm says, it’s a time of knowing God, a time of growing in relationship with him, a time of listening and hearing his still small voice speak into our lives.

If we will develop this pattern of life, we will be in good company, not only in patterns of life we see in the bible, but we’ll also be in the company of a good and wonderful God.

“And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there.” — Matthew 14:23

Jesus often withdrew to out-of-the-way places and prayed. (Luke 5:16).

Louie Locke is the pastor of Fountainhead Foursquare Church, 3690 Highway 395, Carson City, www.ffcwired.org.