Prayer: Father God, thank you for your amazing love for me and the way you have helped me throughout my life, I praise you and worship you and as I come into your wonderful presence will you please have mercy on me and forgive from all my sins and cleanse me so that my heart may be as white as snow. And I ask you today, as I come into your presence speak to me, encourage me and draw me closer to see you in all your majesty and the splendour of your holiness. O Lord, hear my prayer, O Lord, hear my prayer; when I call answer me. O Lord, hear my prayer, O Lord, hear my prayer; come and listen to me.

Scripture Reading for Prayer and Praise: Psalm 95:1-3

"1 Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.” 2 Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.” 3 For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods.”         

Worship Song Sung or Said: Be Still for the Presence of the Lord (David J Evan)

https://youtu.be/XOCfPjLOvC4

Be still, for the presence of the Lord, the Holy One, is here.
Come, bow before him now, with reverence and fear.
In him no sin is found, we stand on holy ground.
Be still, for the presence of the Lord, the Holy One, is here.

Be still, for the glory of the Lord is shining all around;
he burns with holy fire, with splendour he is crowned.
How awesome is the sight, our radiant King of light!

 

Be still, for the glory of the Lord is shining all around.

Be still, for the power of the Lord is moving in this place,
he comes to cleanse and heal, to minister his grace.

 

No work too hard for him, in faith receive from him;
be still, for the power of the Lord is moving in this place.

Gods Word for Today: Psalm 46:10

"Be still, and know that I am God.”                                                                                               

Devotional/Study: Part 1

Yesterday we looked at sung worship and how it can change our lives and how sung worship gives us a glimpse of Gods holiness. Today I want look at another way of worship and that is through just been still before God. God ministers to us in sung worship and also in the quietness. I am sure you agree we live in a fast-paced world and a society where the demands and pressures of life have caused so many of us to live a busy lifestyle 

Sometimes in life, there is always so much that needs to be done and for some of us life is so busy and stressful. As Christians I think we have fallen into the trap of living a too busy lifestyle, that we don’t give God the time He is worthy of. When we become busy and distracted it’s so easy to miss what God is saying into our lives. 

For some of us we have allowed the duties and demands of life to rob us, from just being still before God. The Psalmist says in Psalm 46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God.”  

The word ‘still’ comes from a Hebrew word meaning to let go or release. 

I like this translation from Gods word Translation, Let go [of your concerns]! Then you will know that I am God. I rule the nations. I rule the earth.

In Psalm 46 God commands His people them to "Be Still and know God.” He was telling them to let go of their fears and relax in His presence and protection. It was in the been still they would know God was their hope, watching and protecting and fighting for them and knowing that He was their very present help, refuge, and strength (46:1). I think some of us have become too busy to Be Still Everything is a rush in life, even our quiet times with God are hurried. 

Sometimes to ‘Be Still’ is also to be silent and focus on God and allow him to surround us and fill us with His love and peace and speak to us. I am not the kind of person who likes being still, but I am learning that this is an important discipline in our spirituality. One thing is for certain when you are still in His presence, you can experience an amazing peace and calmness in your soul.  

If we want to go deeper with God we need to learn to Be still to let go, to surrender and allow God to minister to us and for us to let Him love us. In some sense when we do let go we are saying to God, Lord be in control of my life and situations.  In calling us to Be Still God is asking us to let go of everything that draws us away from Him. 

What things are there in your life that draws you away from been still and resting in His presence? 

We need to take time to get our body and mind quiet so that we can listen to Gods voice. God wants to speak to us, His desire is to for us to know what’s in heart, however, how will we hear His voice if we don’t give Him that time to listen to Him through his word and His people. When we are still in our soul, we put ourselves in a position to connect and draw closer and know what’s in His heart. Sometimes in life when we are troubled by something, I believe just sitting in God’s presence in that attitude of stillness, God can release His peace into our hearts. 

The key to stillness is to give God time to minister to us. Jesus in his busy life often went up to the mountain to be alone with God. It was a place He could spend time being still with his father in heaven. 

Where is your mountain, that place to be still, that place where you can pour out your heart, that place where you can experience His love and where he can do something deep in the core of our inner being?

When we spend time in that place of stillness, we can invite Him to be part of our journey and share our heart with Him. The more you practice stillness and open yourself to God, the more you will go deeper into His heart and discover that The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love (Psalm 145:8).

It’s in the stillness of being in God’s presence, waiting and trusting we will find help. We read in Isaiah 26:3 "You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” 

It’s in the stillness you can talk to God knowing that He will listen with care. God is in no hurry. I know that when I sit in God’s presence and share and release my anxieties or worries, I find peace. Brothers and sisters when we wait in hope for the LORD, we find peace. This is what David experienced, he said in Psalm 4:8 "In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, LORD, make me dwell in safety.”

As we think about stillness, tomorrow I would like to share what stillness in God presence does in our lives. In the meantime, take some time just to sit still in God’s presence and let Him love and hold you and let Him be God in your life. 

Personal Prayers: