Be Still and Put the Phone Down

All week we've been talking about setbacks and how they're meant to drive us closer to God. Yesterday I said we need to "sit with Him," and I got to thinking, that's easier said than done. What does that even look like in a world that will not shut up?

Psalm 46:10 says it as plain as it gets, "Be still, and know that I am God." Ten words. But I'd argue those might be the hardest ten words in the whole Bible to actually live out. Not because we don't want to. Because we have forgotten how.

Think about your average day. You wake up and before your feet hit the floor, you're reaching for your phone. Check the texts, check the email, check the news, check what everybody had for dinner last night. By the time you sit down for coffee, your head is already full of other people's noise. When exactly do you think God is supposed to get a word in?

Here's the hard truth I've had to come to grips with. I was not too busy for God. I was too distracted. My phone wasn't keeping me from Him, my unwillingness to put it down was. We say we want to hear from God, but we never give Him a quiet minute to speak.

For a regular guy like me, being still might just mean leaving the phone on the counter and drinking that first cup of coffee with nothing but you, your Bible, and God. It might mean turning the news off for a while. It might mean driving to work with the radio off. Small stuff. But small stuff done every day is how you learn to hear Him again.

And here's what I've found. When you actually get quiet, God shows up. Not with a booming voice from the sky. Usually it's a thought that wasn't there before, a peace that doesn't make sense, a scripture that comes to mind right when you need it, a nudge to call somebody or let something go. That's Him. But you'll miss it every time if the noise is too loud.

So if we're serious about letting our setbacks push us closer to Him, this is where the rubber meets the road. Put the phone down. Turn the noise off. Be still. He is God, and He has something to say to you, if you'll just give Him the room to say it.

Y'all enjoy the Masters now. Have a good weekend.

Be Nice. Grace Wins.

FMJ