1/21/13 - Weekly Devo - "Be Still My Soul"

from Lenae, GEMS training Manager

 

Be Still My Soul

              But I have stilled and quieted my soul;

like a weaned child with its mother,

like a weaned child is my soul within me.

Psalm 131:2

The day’s devotional reading couldn’t have been over 225 words and yet when I placed the small book back on the lampstand this morning I had no recollection of what I had just read. My mind was on the move, shifting from one thought to another, instead of being still before Him. I picked the book up again and reread it, and willed my mind to focus. It didn’t. The chatter in my head continued. My thoughts were like little girls on a sugar high during Bible Lesson time at club who simply can’t resist talking to their neighbor even when they know they’re supposed to be listening.

“Be still my soul,” I wrote in my prayer journal. “Shhhhhhhh!” I wrote on the next line.

I thought of how many worship services I had shushed my fidgeting daughters when they were young. “Shhhhhhh! We’re in church. Be quiet. Listen.” Now I was shushing my own soul. “You’re in God’s presence. Be quiet. Listen.”

Throughout the Psalms David and the other authors had conversations with their soul. They commanded their souls to rest, to wait, to praise, and to be still. Let’s learn from them and follow their example.

• Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the LORD has been good to you (116:7). When everything feels like it’s moving from bad to worse, command your mind to rest and recount the ways God has been good to you even in hard stuff.
• I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope (130:5). For every problem in our lives, God has a promise. Put your hope in His promises and wait with expectation. Trust His timetable.
• Praise the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul (146:1). Declare your trust in Him alone. Honor Him in your heart; sing His praises throughout the day and during the watches of the night.
• I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me (131:2). Shhhhhh! Be still in your Abba Father’s arms. Quit squirming and demanding your own way. Let Him strip you of your plans so you can live out His plan and be brought to contentment in Christ.

Think on it: What command from God’s Word do you need to speak to your soul today?

"Be still, and know that I am God" (Ps 46:10), doesn't mean letting your mind wander. Rather, it means "Let go, relax."

Chuck Swindoll