This morning as I was doing my quiet time, I reflected back on some of my earlier journal entries when I stumbled across something from Jan 13, 2017. Psalm 46:10 says “He says, Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” The Hebrew word for “still” here is Raphah (roll the R and ph makes the F sound…Rah-fah … you got it!).
I love going to my Blue Letter Bible app and finding out the Hebrew or Greek meanings for words. Anyway, here… the word still means this :
Being slothful stands out to me. I picture a sloth, just lying slack in a tree. And then it hits me. Some of the times that I feel closest to God is when I have a headache in the morning and I end up on the couch, slack, with no words other than, “Lord Jesus, I just can’t today…please help me”. I just lay there listening to Him or being quiet, keeping my brain off. When I finally get up from that slightly fetal position on the couch, I just *feel* Him. I know He’s been with me. He usually doesn’t say much to me in those moments, but I know He has just come by and hung out with me and let me be still.
How many times do we miss that slothful time because we are always going? Or always talking? Or when we get bored, we pick up our phone? How often do we just sit idle and let God do His thing? Oh, how I hate those headache mornings, but oh, how I love the time I get with God!
I think, and I’m no Bible scholar, but I think if we as Christians were all a little more raphah and just listened to what our Lord has to say to us, that He WOULD be exalted among the nations and in the earth. Our lips would praise Him. Our words would be seasoned with praise. He would be exalted because we wouldn’t be able to keep ourselves from singing His praises!
Take some time today and be still. Just listen to what God might have for you. Simply ask Him to come near. He will. He is happy to do that. He wants to do that. And you might just be surprised as what you experience.
ShannonFabulous 