Be Still And Know That God Is God Series

Do you have a list of goals you would like to achieve this year?

Can you tell me something that is on that list?

We all have lists of things we would like to do this year, this month, this week, maybe you even have something you would like to do today.

I have a list of goals, things I would like to achieve - it’s not written down anywhere I keep it all in my head:

The 1st is to finish all of the essays that I need to complete as part of my ministerial training.

The 2nd is to develop a deeper relationship with God and spend more time in prayer.

The 3rd is to find the time to carry on learning to play the Saxophone.

There are many other things on my list,

some are more important than others.

There are some things that I would like to do,

some things I have to do,

some things that I will struggle to find the time to do,

and others I may never manage to find the time for.

There are lots of things that we have to do each day

Sometimes the things we choose to do can get in the way of the things we should be doing.

My life is pretty busy most days, and I need to choose how I use my time.

Over the last month I’ve changed my working week around a bit so that I can dedicate the required time to do my essays.

I’ve spent more time in prayer.

But as much as I enjoy learning to play the saxophone - its been sitting in the cupboard for months.

This week I had a choice on Thursday, I could spend time praying and writing this sermon, or I could have dusted off my saxophone and practiced for a few hours.

I’ve had to make a choice in how I’ve spent my time because I simply can’t do everything.

Personally, I don’t want to make choices that reduce the amount of time I spend praying or drawing near to God.

I’m sure we all put aside some time each day to spend with God, we pray, read our bibles, maybe a daily devotional, maybe you even sing as you walk around your house.

But sometimes we can allow the busyness of daily life to crowd out time with God.

And sometime we just choose to do what we prefer to do instead of what God wants us to do.

The Author C.S. Lewis wrote, “The moment you wake up each morning, all your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals. And the first job each morning consists of shoving it all back, in listening to that other voice, taking that other point of view, letting that other, larger, stronger, quieter life come flowing in.”

We can allow life to crowd out time with God, or we can choose to spend some quality time with Him each and every day.

We all need to take an opportunity to step aside from the busyness of life and just be still in the presence of God.

In the fast, busy, do it now, instant world that we live in, we need to press pause, be still and pray.

Psalm 46:10 says: “Be still, and know that I am God!”

I think it’s fair to say that all of us need to take a little more time each day to be still don’t we?

We need to avoid getting so caught up in our own agenda that we force God out of the way.

Be honest, right now, are you more concerned that the service finishes on time than you are about having adequate time to draw closer to God this morning?

On a Monday night are you more concerned about watching whatever SOAP or programme is on TV at 7pm than spending time at the church prayer meeting?

We can be so caught up in what the world considers useful or pleasurable activity, that we ignore what should be the most important aspect of our lives - quality time with the God who loves us and cares for us.

Hebrews 4:16 reminds us to come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.

When we take the time to be still, when we take the time to pray, God listens.

God is always available, He is never too busy to listen, but too often we lose our focus, God is meant to be at the centre of our lives, not pushed to the side or ignored.

We need to be still and pray and draw near to Him.

We need to be a people of prayer.