Why is it so Hard to Sit Still?

I don’t know if there are words more brutal to a young child than to “sit still”. Everything within that child wants to run, play, dance, skip, and fidget…but to sit still? No way!As an adult, however, we long for permission to sit still. In the crazy, business of life, we would love for someone to insist for us to sit still. We would welcome that command. To sit and rest, to ponder and to think…what a gift sitting still would be to us?Except when that command comes from God.Then we act like children. Refusing to sit still.We want to do everything else but sit still. We want to move and talk, and figure things out on our own. We want things to work out according to our plans. We want people to cooperate with how we say they should act and behave. We have our own ideas and expectations of how our prayers should be answered, and we’ll move heaven and earth to make sure they are answered our way.Stillness in our spiritual walk isn’t nearly as exciting or thrilling as physical stillness in our day-to-day busy lives. Stillness is a command from God, with very good reason. God knows in order for us to know Him better, we must sit still.In Psalm 46:10, He tells us exactly that:“Be still and know that I am God.”Wow! Our Heavenly Father is telling us, His children, to BE STILL. It’s not optional. This is just like when you tell your own child to be still. You know it’s for their own good, and God knows it too.He doesn’t tell us to “be still” only when we feel like it, or when it’s convenient for us, or when we have the time. He commands us to BE STILL because He knows the only way that we can know Him more, is to still our own hearts and minds.It’s hard to be still. We hit the ground running every morning and drop into bed exhausted every night. The cycle continues day in and day out. As I read that verse, it’s almost like God is saying to me, “Heidi, be still.  NOW. Look at me in the eyes. There are some things I want to tell you, but you have to BE STILL.” Sounds like any good parent talking to their own children, doesn’t it?The revelation of this verse came to me several years ago while my family and I were vacationing at the beach.  As I sat on the beach, feeling the cool breeze across my face and watching the waves come into the shore, I realized how easy it was to sit still in that environment. I could hear God clearly and sense His presence with me, but then I became frustrated at how in the real world, it was so hard to hear Him. Then I heard Him speak to me clearly through Psalm 46:10 saying, “Heidi, it’s your responsibility to be still. Through your obedience to being still, it then becomes My responsibility to make Myself known to you. I cannot make you sit still.  That’s a discipline you must learn yourself. My greatest desire is for you to know Me more. You have to be still to know Me.”That day at the beach changed me. It changed my heart and my perspective. Only in my dreams can I sit on the beach every day of my life. I can, however, discipline my heart and mind to “be still” every single day to hear God and to know Him better. Even as I go about my day, with the tasks that are before me, I’ve learned to “still” my mind and my heart. It is a discipline that I must purposefully exercise every single day and it doesn’t come easy, but it’s certainly worth it. In those moments of stillness, I’ve been able to know the heart of God better.I don’t want to be like a young child that refuses to sit still, and I don’t think you do either. Stillness is a state of mind and an attitude of your heart, even on the crazy days and busyness of life. There is so much God wants to speak to you and His desire is for you to know Him more.But you have to be still. And listen. And know HIM.Make a decision today to be still. Be still in your heart and in your mind, and listen to Him. There is a lot God wants to say to you.He’s just waiting for you to BE STILL.