Sabbath Saturday Feb 13, 2021
Worship Devo with Josue Rolon
Dive Deeper
Behind the Scenes
“Be still and know that I am God.”
Many of us are great with the latter part of this scripture. We know that He is God. The “Be still,” text is tougher to abide by in a noisy culture though, isn’t it? Television, news, phones, music, and podcasts clutter our mental space, and even if the content is positive, constant noise still has its effect.
The World Health Organization has reported that noise has underestimated consequences including cardiovascular health, high blood pressure, anxiety, etc. It’s easy to hear that and brush it off after being warned that deodorant and everything else will give us cancer. I don’t find the statistics on noise shocking, but that’s why it is “underestimated.”
Many of us are so familiar with noise that we have grown uncomfortable with silence. Alarm clocks followed by social media scrolling, followed by news, followed by a commute in the car with radio, a podcast or music. The Nielson report found that the average American watches just over five hours of television a day with an additional three-plus hours of phone time, which even overlap, and before we know it, we have noise covering noise, with more noise on top of that, and when there is silence, it can be uncomfortable.
Make it Real
A university professor of mine encouraged our class to drive home one day without any noise in the car. I remember feeling awkward, so I sang a little tune, tapped my thumbs on the wheel, and bobbed my head back and forth, inadvertently creating my own noise. By the time I was halfway home, I was left with my own thoughts, and I began to kind of…dream. I also began to pray. Each commute became filled with stillness and prayer, and it was one of my favorite times to be alone with God. I grew into being comfortable with silence, and it is a sacred part of routine that remains.
Jesus set a great example of this concept. After the twelve disciples were out ministering, he encouraged them to separate to rest in Mark 6. Before Jesus was crucified, He went away to be alone from everyone to pray before what He was about to face. Even in Matthew 14, he went away by Himself to be alone after learning that John the Baptist had been beheaded. Stillness was important for his grief. Jesus had a perfect balance of being sociable, compassionate, and caring. He also demonstrated the importance of stillness, prayer, and knowing that his Father is God.
I encourage you today, wherever you are, to implement silence into your day, whether it be a commute or before bed. My favorite time to be still is first thing in the morning. Before touching your phone, sit up and set an alarm for one minute (or ten if you’re brave). Before you hit the ground running (literally), just be still allowing God to speak before all the noise does. Be still and KNOW that He is God.
We are in this together!
Much love!
Ali Bair
ACF Devo Team
End in Prayer
Hey God,
I want to take a second to slow down and be still before you. Help me to find quiet in the middle of all the noise. Help me to worship You and listen for Your voice over the noise of the world. Thank You that you are always there for me, patiently waiting for me in the quiet spaces. Help me to strive for calm today and help me to remember that You are God.
Amen!