Be Still My Soul

By Cathy Irvin
Staff Writer

CBN.com - If someone asked you, how busy are you these days, what would your response be? I know what mine would be,"Are you kidding?" Not to be sarcastic, but seriously, who isn't? With work, family and church ministry, it is a hurried kind of life. Right? Wrong. The Word tells us that these scriptures should be our guidelines for living.

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)

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28)

I once read a book titled, Come Away My Beloved by Frances J. Roberts. When I read it I felt like I could hear the Lord speak to me. It was full of words that blessed and encouraged me.

We must find quiet time. It is essential to our physical and spiritual well being. Jesus told us to occupy until He comes. Some people believe that this means there is too much to be done here on earth and that we shouldn't waste any time. But He meant for us to be about His business, which is winning souls for the kingdom of God. How can we diligently work for the Lord without taking time to minister to Him? We need to rest and get a second wind? How many lay-men and lay-women in the church, as well as pastors, have burned out simply because they did not take time to rest?

I am talking about being too busy all the time. There are boundaries and there are also priorities every day. We should not try to cram everything into one day.

I think it is time to take some mini-breaks or time outs during our day to focus on God. I know the Lord has been speaking to me to take a break so we can talk. Recently, He showed me that I was overly concerned about exercising a certain amount of time each week and concentrating too much on my eating habits. Instead, He wanted me to take the same amount of time to devote to some special prayer time.

I knew He was talking about a prayer group at work. I am adjusting my life and making time to do what He wants me to do. I find that I come away fulfilled and refreshed. It is because I have been with the Lord. I am about the Father's business instead of dealing endlessly with my own affairs.

Whenever I make what I call a "divine appointment "with the Lord by praising Him, singing to Him, and talking to Him, I immediately get in His presence. I allow Him to minister to me too by having times where I don't say a word. Those times to me are like getting a refreshing drink from a crisp cool stream or feeling the mist off a waterfall.

I know we all want to be productive and we don't deliberately want to abuse the temple of the Lord. We should understand that our bodies do not function well under too much stress. Constantly staying busy will cause us to be ill and can dull our senses to the voice of the Father. We need to hear the gentle voice of the Lord when He calls to us saying, "Be still and know that I am God."

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