Psalm 46:10-11 – Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!”
The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Being alone can be scary

As a kid did you ever have that moment when you realized you were the last one to be picked up after a game or at school. Did your parents forget? Did they not care? You look around only to see the teacher who was relegated to stay until you were picked up looking at their watch for the 1000th time. When would they show up? Where are they? What was more important than picking me up? Maybe you even got a little panicked. Maybe you worried they wouldn’t show up. (I was good at creating worst case scenarios in my mind – so I’m sure I thought they were in an accident and would never make it back).

Usually my sister or my parents were around, but during my teenage years, there were times when I was the only one in the house. I could really freak myself out. I would sometimes call my grandpa just to feel like someone knew where I was and could talk me down from my fears. (Do I sound neurotic?).

We’re not alone

The truth is, we’re not alone. Never. God is with us. That means no matter where we go, we can reach out for comfort and encouragement. Even when we as adults find ourselves feeling very alone with many people around us. The amount of people in our vicinity doesn’t have much to do with our feeling alone or not. The beauty of God being with us is that He actually has the power to change things. He can make our situation different. He can do it immediately if He wants too, or it might take a little while (probably while I learn patience or endurance or trusting in Him). But He is always there, and always hears our prayers.

Still feel alone

Some of you are probably thinking to yourselves, “Sure, that sounds great, but how do I feel God with me?” That comes in the beginning of our scripture for today. “Be still and know that I am God.” In America, we’re not accustomed to being still. In fact it takes practice, and can feel really uncomfortable at first. But God says in this verse that if we are still we will know He is God. In addition reading scriptures, calling out to Him in your times of need (like I would call my grandpa), or listening to Christian music can all help to remind us of our ever-present God.

Do you know how to be still?