I grew up in a small farming community in Illinois. If there was ever a traffic jam, it was probably when we had too many tractors driving on our road or if someone’s cows got out. When I moved to the Twin Cities, it was definitely a change for me. It was beautiful in a different way, but it was different from the slower pace of home that I had known before.  

This shift in environment got me thinking about how we live in such a busy and fast society. We have fast food and grocery pickups, the internet and social media always at our fingertips through our phones, podcasts we listen to at double speed, freeways, quick healthcare, Amazon, the list could go on. Yes, I use all these things. They are not necessarily bad, but our culture is programmed into needing these things. Research of the dopamine rush in our brains shows that we are addicted to the satisfaction we gain through these fast-paced things. So, what do we do when we are running around with our busy lives and God tells us in Psalm 46 to “be still”?  

It can be hard to suddenly stop—stop our fussing, our rushing, and our busyness. God tells us to wait and meditate on him. And to be honest, most of the time, I don’t like this invitation. Similar to our culture, I want a quick fix, a fast answer to my problems. And yet, he says, “Be still.”  

In my past two years at the Free Lutheran Bible College, I have often struggled with being still. It is hard for me to find time to sit in prayer or meditate on God and his Word. I feel endlessly busy. I feel like I can never catch up with all I have to do. Nevertheless, God calls us to be still. And he has shown me something truly beautiful over the past two years: that even in the busyness, the unknowns, the fears, or simply the grind of the day to day, I can be still. In the early morning walks to class, I can think of Jesus. In the hurried drive to work, I can talk to him about everything on my mind. In the hours of studying, he reveals himself as El Roi—the God who sees me. In the practices and papers, or late-night conversations filled with laughter or tears, he teaches me how to rest. Through the mundane, God shows his goodness.  

This is the paradox: he is showing me that despite my lack of stillness, he can still give me peace in my soul. How amazing to have this relationship with our Heavenly Father. He gives us peace in the craziness and joy in the unknown. And he gives us stillness. For in stillness we find that “He is God.” He is completely in control of everything going on in the world and in my heart, because he is sovereign.  

So, let us prioritize and strive for intentional rest in him. Let us dwell on who Jesus is in quietness and meditation. But even when we feel like we have failed to do this, let us remember that he is a God of deep, deep grace. It overflows to meet us in the busy, mundane moments. He comes with much more than could ever be had through quick fixes and fast answers when we quiet our hearts before him. He shows us how to rest in the gospel, in Christ. And it is in his work that we are free to “Selah”—to pause. We are free to be still.   

Ava Talley [FLBC sophomore] is a member of Freedom Lutheran, Ottawa, Ill.