Be still and Know ,
Be still and Know What?
If you looked out my front window, this would not be the picture you would see. This last weekend, starting on Friday night and going through Sunday, my city received close to two feet (yes, I said feet) of snow. That is a lot of shoveling and digging out to even get anywhere. Many snow days for students.
It is difficult to be still when the regular routine of things seems to be all messed up. Be still for a moment and think about the coming celebration. We are very excited about the birth but think about the young couple. This was not part of Mary and Joseph’s plans for their first year of marriage. 21 She will have a son, and you will name Him Jesus, which means “the Lord saves,” because this Jesus is the person who will save all of His people from sin. I would say that is a
big step out of the ordinary!
God Helps Us to Be Still.
Mary and Joseph did not know what was in the future, but they knew who held their future. That was the only way they were able to take the steps forward with no clear path.
I mentioned in my previous post two intimate ways to slow down and connect with God on life’s journey. I will talk about Lectio Divina here.
The definition of this Latin phrase is “divine reading”. Create space for a purposeful time to open and receive God’s heart through taking in His Word. At first, you may think this is only for the super spiritual i.e, Enneagram Type 4 or Type 5’s or Contemplatives. I would ask even those of you who are the most productive go-getters and Enneagream Type 3’s to give this a try. God desires to go deep in the souls of all of us, but cannot if we are always on the move, or if we determine our own goals.
There are four different sections to this “sacred space”. It is not a time to rush, nor is it a time to analyze and dissect. It is a time to “be still and open yourself up to know Jesus,
Invitation to a kind of silence.
Christine Aroney-Sine in her book THE GIFT OF WONDER develops in detail these four movements to walk out of the noise and into the silence to connect with God. I will be taking information from her book.
Lectio– Get comfortable. This is not a time to rush through a to-do list. You are meeting with THE CREATOR. Relax. Maybe even light a candle. Take a bible verse and read it. Then read it again. Then R-e-a-d A-g-a-i-n S-l-o-w-l-y! Allow each word to come in and sit, find a resting place. Read the verse out loud. What is God saying? This is not a time to dissect the meaning. See if any word speaks louder to you than the others. Have a journal with you and write them down.
Meditatio– Take the verse to the deeper part of your heart and as Christine writes, “This is where we speak with God and allow God’s word to affect us at our deepest levels.” (p.29 from her book). Remember all is within God’s connection with you but never in contrast to the rest or His Word. It can be a time where the verse relates to you and your life, not just gives you facts.
Oratio– This movement is RESPONDING. You are reading, engaging, identifying with the verse. There is a flow, a call to respond. Do you hear God saying something in the verse connecting with your creativity, your writing, your relationships, how you live? Do you feel God’s delight in the nature He created or the pain of rebellion against His love? As we experience these feelings: prayer, intercession, being a warrior, worship will rise.
The Last Movement -Be Still and Know
Contemplatio– Do not rush through this last and final movement. It may seem similar to Meditatio but this is where you are quiet, Be Still and Know He IS God, Listen, Receive. and Enjoy what God is “doing and sharing with you”. At first, it may be difficult to know anything is happening. This is really something that is beyond words. The first three, we are very proactive even in our receiving. This last movement, we are completely hands free to drench in the peaceful Holy Spirit Love. Gentle peaceful rain.
I will end the post with this invitation. With possible hectic holidays, the best lasting gift is love. Anything you create through posts, instagram, your art, may eventually fade away, but God’s Heart, His Love in you, and your art will not leave. Be Still and Know The Love God Gives you. Take this verse and go through the Lectio Divina. Share your thoughts either here or come to my Facebook page. We are a community working to create and Know more of God together.
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