Be Still

Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
Psalms 46:10

Therefore, let your hearts be comforted concerning Zion; for all flesh is in mine hands; be still and know that I am God.
Doctrine & Covenants 101:16

Being still is harder than you’d think. And not just for small children. Last week I set a goal to be more still. If I didn’t specifically say, “I’m going to be still right now” then life kept rushing past and dragging me along with it.

Yesterday I found myself with a case of the hiccups. And I realized that it was because I was going too fast. I’d eaten lunch and it gave me the hiccups. I hadn’t even eaten that fast. Anyone watching would’ve thought it was a nice leisurely pace. But inside I was racing (and getting a lot of research done).

So I paused. I became aware of my breathing. I slowed it down. I thought of the air moving in and out. And the hiccups disappeared.

Sometimes I think I believe I get more done when I’m rushing around like crazy. But do I appreciate it? Is it my best work? Is it, in all honesty, what I’m actually supposed to be doing? Slowing down allows me to determine the difference between the good and the best. Slowing down means I might not actually get to everything, but if I got to the best things, the good will take care of themselves.

And slowing down, being still, is when I recognize the ever present hand of God in my life.

Be Still, My Soul

Be still, my soul: The Lord is on thy side;
With patience bear thy cross of grief or pain.
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In ev’ry change he faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: Thy best, thy heav’nly Friend
Thru thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

Be still, my soul: Thy God doth undertake
To guide the future as he has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul: The waves and winds still know
His voice who ruled them while he dwelt below.

Be still, my soul: The hour is hast’ning on
When we shall be forever with the Lord,
When disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,
Sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul: When change and tears are past,
All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.

Text: Katharina von Schlegel, b. 1697; trans. by Jane Borthwick, 1813-1897

I will be still and know God.