Be Still and Know That I Am God
ICS Daily Devotions
Matthew 14:23 (NKJV) And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there.
Because we live such busy lives, it is crucial to intentionally get away and be alone with God. Jesus Himself demonstrated this when He sent away the multitudes and retreated to a quiet place to pray to God the Father.
Some of us may want to fast, pray and seek the face of God. However, we need to bear in mind that fasting is not a means to manipulate God, but rather a discipline that quiets our flesh and tunes our hearts to hear God’s voice more clearly. When we fast, we should also abstain from sexual intimacy as a couple to focus fully on seeking God’s face.
There are countless voices vying for our attention, especially during times of stress. Like Job’s friends, well-intentioned individuals may offer their opinions, but we must first seek God’s guidance before seeking counsel from others. This prioritisation is critical: seek God first, then seek godly counsel.
Psalms 46:10 (NKJV) Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!
As we follow Jesus’ example of pulling away from the crowds and being alone with God, we need to tell our flesh and our minds to be quiet—to cease striving, relax and let go. When we keep our eyes fixed on God, we will experience peace even during a storm. We should also get into a receptive posture before the Lord by opening our hands in humility and turning our eyes upon Jesus. Have a vision of Jesus and come to a position of rest.
Find a quiet, undisturbed place to pray and worship. Playing instrumental music will help to create a peaceful atmosphere. It may take a few minutes to quiet our thoughts, but as we come to stillness before God, we can experience his love and have communion with him.
When we quiet our minds and hearts, it will create space for the Holy Spirit to speak to us. The voice of God is often perceived as spontaneous thoughts, feelings, or visions that rise up from the heart. These intuitive communications may seem like our own thoughts, but they flow from our spirit and are not analytical or cognitive in nature.
While not all spontaneous thoughts are from the Holy Spirit, we need to recognise that this heart-level communication is the means by which God often speaks to us. As we tune into this flow of spontaneous thoughts, we can discern God’s direction for our lives and write down these intuitive thoughts, but we will always need to check that what we have perceived is in line with the Word.
Our relationship with God is an inner, intuitive, spiritual, heart experience where the Holy Spirit speaks to our spirit. As we renew our minds with this truth, we will learn to discern the Holy Spirit’s promptings more readily, and confidently walk in the path that He has laid out for us.
Sermon Series: How Much More God
