Stillness is a gift of God.

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

I was nervous when I took this picture. I was concerned that the fog would lift too quickly for me to get the shot. Fog can last all day in Oregon, my home state, but not in Colorado. In Colorado Springs fog is a rarity. The atmosphere is too dry.

Fountain Creek Regional Park, Fountain, Colorado

What causes you to panic?

• Will there be enough food on the table?
• Will your spouse come home drunk?
• Will the house sell?

“Be still in the presence of the LORD,
and wait patiently for him to act.
Don’t worry about evil people who prosper
or fret about their wicked schemes.”
Psalm 37:7 New Living Translation

It might not be “evil people” who cause you to fret, but “evil” situations that might seriously disrupt your life.

The ability to “be still in the presence of the LORD” is a spiritual gift. Stillness does not come naturally to us. Panicking,overreacting and becoming hysterical are default modes for many of us when we face difficult times.

Too often we turn to the wrong things to bring stillness into our lives and forget that the chaos of the cross has brought tranquility. God has acted in the violence of the cross. It is in the cross that we experience peace: peace with God and peace with each other.

Though your house might not sell, your spouse might come home drunk and there might not be much on your table, God has acted on your behalf. The gift of his presence brings peace.

Copyright Douglas P Brauner