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“Be still, and know that I am God …”
The popular scripture from the Psalms was scratching at my conscience.
I was driving a country highway, headed to my next destination for the day, with a load on my mind. Still even more to check off that day, I reminded myself. So I was only vaguely aware of the sunset taking place.
The obligations of life had recently begun piling up. I knew I was in a challenging two-week stretch. And this evening jaunt, after an already long day on the road, was dragging me down.
Even throwing up an audible prayer for patience, endurance and peace — a practice that normally quiets my inner turmoil — was failing me that night. But stealthily, creeping forward in my conscience, there it was …
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“Be still, and know that I am God …”
I am aware I do this too often; I believe I can manage through my difficulties all on my own. And so, I pushed the scriptural tug back to the subconscious level, and trudged down the highway.
Maybe, just a little music was all I needed. … Wrong. The music didn’t help anymore than the silent brooding had.
“Be still, and know that I am God …”
There it was again, knocking on the door of my conscience, begging me to take notice.
I tried making a couple of phone calls to folks whose conversation picks me up when I’m in a funk. Both rang through to voicemail. … Unavailable. The effort did nothing to improve my mood.
“Be still, and know that I am God!”
There it was again. Louder this time. More forceful. Almost as if God decided to use a megaphone.
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“OK, already!” I silently shouted back in my head. “I admit! I can’t do this on my own!”
Just then, as I took the right-hand turn that would take me west toward my destination, the horizon beyond my windshield exploded into a technicolor dream, filled with a blazing autumnal setting sun! There was a low cloud cover and the effect made the sky itself look like it was ablaze in fire!
The sky became a brilliant tapestry of reds, oranges and yellows radiating out from the sun. And it all was wrapped gently in a bear hug of clouds of every blue and purple hue imaginable.
Breathtaking! Heart stopping! A kind of sunset I’ve never seen before. A sight that stopped me in my tracks, right at the intersection, unable to move because I couldn’t take my eyes off it.
No cars in sight. I put my truck in park. I stepped onto the highway and allowed God’s handiwork to swallow me up.
My mind was blank other than … you guessed it: “Be still, and know that I am God!”
Lesson learned, again.
