The Lodestar

Being still is reaching a state where we drop what we are thinking and doing and pay attention to something else. It is when our minds cease to scheme, plan, and worry and stop rehearsing what we are to say the next moment.

That is the moment when our minds are clear and transparent. Imagine a glass or murky river water. If we leave it undisturbed for a while, dirt will settle at the bottom of the vessel, and clear water will be at the upper level. Being still means not continually stirring our thoughts so that the mind becomes transparent and we can behold the eternal realities in a new light.

To be still, we need to surrender all our troubling thoughts to the almighty God. This does not mean stopping to think but handing over each troubling thought as it crosses our minds to him. It is like watching passing clouds. Some clouds may cast shadows of sadness, shame, and pain, but we must realise that they are not there to stay; they will pass away so that the sun will shine again.

When the dirt settles and clear water appears, we land at the moment of being still to know the almighty God who is active in our lives. Murky minds are opaque, hiding the eternal realities from our view, but clear and transparent minds behold the Lord, tall and grand in all our difficult circumstances.

The psalmist advises us to “calm and quieten our soul.” “But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me” (Psa 131:2).

Take a moment today to still your heart and surrender your restless thoughts to God. Let the worries settle and behold the eternal realities beyond your hurried mind. In the quiet, you will find His presence, steady and faithful.

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