Month two, here we go… get ready! It’s hard to believe it’s already been a whole month here in Cambodia. It felt like a blink. If you really think about it, that’s all life here on earth really is compared to an eternity in heaven, just one blink. It’s so important to take your time daily, and to just soak every moment in. This is why I’m writing this blog, to talk about just focusing on taking your time and listening to the Lord speak to you in every moment, and sometimes he just wants us to be still, to know that he is simply there. He wants us to take every second intentionally and to have faith and trust that he is who he says he is no matter the circumstance. He is constant, and he is present.
I’ve had a difficult time doing exactly this. I’m a person who always seems to be on the move and has something to do or somewhere to go, but I never take time to just quiet myself before the Lord and listen. I’ve also had a hard time hearing what God is trying to speak to me or even believing that he is speaking to me. I realized that God doesn’t speak to everyone in the same way, and if you also have a hard time hearing the Lord, know this, he speaks through so many things. Look at the nature, listen to music, let someone pray over you, or just ask him to show you, and he will. I’ve realized that sometimes I just need to be patient, and be still in moments when I think he’s not speaking, but the truth is, I’m just not quieting my mind and listening. A few things I learned at training camp before the race; advice to truly listen to what the Lord is saying to you, 1. quiet your voice, 2. ask God to quiet the voice of the enemy, and 3. ask God to quiet the voice of the world. This will allow you to hear the Lord’s truth and his voice.
At launch, every racer received a key with a word engraved onto it. These keys had been prayed over and given to the specific person that God intended for it to be given to. I was excited to open up my envelope and read what word my key had, and I was anticipating this big moment like I was going to be blown away or something and think “wow this is so me” or “this is so true”. I opened up my envelope and read my key. The word engraved on my key was the word “BE”. I was slightly confused, and I saw other squad mates with awesome words and passages, and I’ll admit, I was kind of jealous… like what the heck does “BE” mean? Before these keys were given to us, they had told us that these words could be something that we need to grow in, something that we need to be reminded of, it could be a gift that you already have, or something that would come into provision years from now. All I could think was “okay God, show me what this word means”.
Since the race began, God has been revealing to me that I just need to BE me, I don’t have to be anyone or anything else other than myself for him to love me, because he loves me as the broken sinner that I am. His love covers me. He has taught me to BE present and focus on what’s happening in the now, and not to get ahead of myself. The biggest thing God has really been teaching me is to just BE still. He reminds me to just quiet myself and everything else that might be speaking to me to truly listen to what he wants me to hear, because he speaks only truth, and his love is perfect. My beautiful momma wrote me a letter before I left, and in it, it had the verse “Be still and know that I am God” psalm 46:10. It’s one of the most powerful and beautiful verses, and it’s one of my favorites. It’s a reminder to just stop and take time in this ever-moving world to completely listen to God and have trust that he is who he says he is. Sometimes it’s not always listening to what he’s saying, but also to just be still and calm in his presence and let his peace just wash over me. He is an all-powerful, all-loving God. “The Lord will fight for me, I need only to be still” Exodus 14:14. I can find refuge in the Lord when the waters are rough, and I cannot fight my battles on my own. The battle has already been won by Jesus, so I encourage you to just give it up to Him, because He has the power, and He will give you his peace. You can run to him.
I recently got the words “be still” tattooed on my arm as a reminder to just still myself, to quiet my mind and just let him speak to me or just be peaceful in his presence. A reminder that in this fast paced world, I always need to find time to take a break and give every moment up to the Lord, especially when things aren’t easy, because he fights my battles.
Remember to Just be still, because He is Lord, and He is who He says He is. He will give you rest. He will speak to you when you take the time to quiet yourself. Take your time, and give him every moment.
