Be Still

“Come and see the works of the LORD… Be still and know that I am [Elohim].” (Ps. 46:8a, 10a)

            The hummingbirds are back. From my own perch on the back porch rocker, I sit directly below the feeder and watch as they’re enticed by the sugar water I’ve prepared for their pleasure and sustenance. Funny thing is, more often than not they don’t pause long enough to drink. They’re too busy keeping one another away. I see it all. One bird sits upon the electric wire and watches until another flies close to the feeder, preparing to take its fill. Then the one high above dive-bombs, chasing it off. It’s some sort of sadistic game. An endless cycle, and I’m exhausted (and feel parched) just from watching. Where’s the joy?

            Exhausted and parched. Truth be known, that’s how I feel much of the time. Where, I ask, are those “lazy, dog-days of summer”? I long for them, and yes – I even plan (in my head) for them. But as school winds down and the days grow longer, the calendar fills up. Those lengthier days are packed full. Out of town guests. Play dates. Summer camps. Typical errands. Clean up from one group. Prepare for another. My head spins. I’m dive-bombing from one place to the next, rarely pausing long enough to breathe deeply… drink deeply.

Elohim is the Hebrew name for God that the Psalmist used in Psalm 46. It emphasizes His majesty as the one true God – a reminder that He began it all, created it all, holds it all. Completed by His hands. Held in His hands. And most amazingly, we’re invited to know Him. All that’s required is that we “be still.”

Why, then, is this so difficult? Is it the enemy’s cruel scheming that keeps us so often distracted? Is it a competitive nature in some of us that keeps us striving superfluously? Perhaps it even stems from a sincere motive to be hospitable, to meet the needs of others, to extend kindness. But even good things can be wrong when they’re accomplished in our own strength and void of God’s leading and enabling power – especially when they’ve kept us from being still in His presence.

Jesus himself demonstrated the necessity for this – often retreating to the “lonely places” to be with his Father. So why should I think I need any less? It’s only in obeying daily – with God’s Word opened before us and a desperate prayer for help and guidance upon our lips – that we’ll find the joy, peace, and satisfaction that come from knowing Him.

Yes, I’ll keep feeding the hummingbirds sugar water. And I’ll keep learning from them, too. After all, they’re teaching me the importance of pausing and drinking deeply from the Living Water – my Pleasure, my Sustenance… my Joy.

~Selah~