ENOUGH!

As I continued to study Psalm 46:10 this morning, I read a footnote in my New International Version Study Bible which stated that the phrase “Be still” in the Hebrew usage here “probably means ‘ENOUGH!’”  And with that I immediately heard the Lord say to me, “ENOUGH of your whining, ENOUGH of your looking to everything but to me, ENOUGH of your seeking and wanting your own way, and ENOUGH of all the NOISE in your life, just STOP long enough to enjoy the SILENCE of My presence!”

I worked for many years as a process supervisor in the machining area of Agilent Technologies (a spin-off of Hewlett Packard).  The large building that encompassed this area was filled with state of the art NC Milling and Turning equipment.  The majority of the operations on the floor were in a wide open space and my desk sat right in the midst of the Milling shop.  Needless to say, it was quite noisy and sadly, I refused to wear ear protection for the majority of my time there.  I have never like to have anything stuck in my ears, but finally submitted to protecting my hearing for the last year I was there after finding a pair of electronic ear muffs that didn’t make me feel like I was in a tunnel!

But by then the damage was done.  There were many days were I would go home with my head ringing and my shoulders tight as a drum!  Over the years since leaving that position, the ringing has left, but I am still sensitive to background noises.  So when the Lord mentioned the “NOISE” in my life, I understood exactly what He meant!  There are certain places and times when the background noise is so bothersome to me that I have to say “ENOUGH” and go find a QUIET PLACE!

That’s probably why I’ve always loved to get up before everyone in the family and enjoy the QUIET solitude of the early morning hours before the hustle and bustle of the day begins.  As I’ve stated before, the early morning is one of my favorite times when we would go camping.  There is just something special and medicinal to the crisp, QUIET, early morning air when you slip out of the tent, start the coffee, and sit down and soak in the sanctity of the early morning mountain atmosphere!

I personally see God’s exclamation to “BE STILL!” as a rather sharp command rather than a gentle nudging to us.  I believe that He is really wanting to get our attention in the midst of our busy, NOISY lives.  It is like the time many years ago when I was a kid and our family went over to my grandparents to see their new car.  After oohing and ahhing over the floor-room shiny Buick, my grandpa flipped the keys to my dad and told him to give it a spin!  So my dad, mom, grandpa and I hopped in the car and headed out Bennett Valley Road into the country near their home.  After driving for a while, my dad pulled over to stop when he suddenly hit the brakes so hard that we all plummeted forward with an exaggerated jerk.  Let’s just say that he had definitely gained our attention!  When the shock wore off my dad laughed and sheepishly pointed to the brake where he had both feet firmly planted.  He was so used to driving a manual transmission that he automatically went to depress the clutch while braking with the other foot… and since the new Buick was an automatic… well, you catch my drift!

I think that this is the same way that God is trying to get our attention as we merrily plow through all the NOISE in our lives.  He is saying “STOP!”  It is time to get yourself QUIET and BE STILL long enough to hear and obey what I have to say for you.  Let me ask you a question today.  Have you been hearing the Lord yelling “ENOUGH!” in your life lately?  Have you hit the brakes to your life with both feet, or have you ignored His pleas and accelerated forward with what you think you have to do?

Well, it’s time to STOP and BE STILL!  It is the ONLY way that you’ll survive in today’s world!  And let me tell you, the PEACE of His QUIETNESS is the most soothing and restorative treatment that you’ll EVER experience.  So… find an off-ramp and pull off the eight lane highway onto the meandering path that He has designed for you to travel on!  Have a great day.  Stay in tune to His Word, and keep asking yourself… “What or Who’s QUIET are you expecting today?”