STILLNESS

I can’t even imagine the noise, confusion, weeping, yelling and general commotion that must have filled the air leading up to and including the cross event. If you’ve ever seen the Passion of the Christ, the brutality, blood, hysteria, and mayhem are almost too much to bear. Soldiers yelling, faithful crying, hammers pounding, bystanders jeering, Jesus dying. And then…nothing.

There was a moment, I am sure, just after Jesus breathed his last breathe, that there was this slight moment of absolute silence. It may have been a few seconds or minutes, but somewhere along the way I sense there was a quieting of all creation. Calm. Stillness. Deep thought. Reflection. And then the question, “Now what?”

Some took that moment to realize they might also be in danger, and they ran. Some slid away to regroup, seek clarity, and decide if they had what it would take to move forward. Yet others simply chose to get on with their life.

In all of our lives there are those moments of stillness. That absolute silence between the “what just happened” and the “now what?” events. Coming home alone after the funeral of our lifelong partner. Those seconds just after we hang up the phone after being told of a horrible accident. Those seconds after the doctor just told us how severe our sickness really is. We’ve all been there.

We may hate these moments. We might feel like we’ve just gone full speed off a cliff and are waiting for our rapid descent. But it doesn’t have to be that way. My favorite verse in my times of anguish has to be, Psalm 46:10. It says, “Be still, and know that I am God.” When life takes us right to the edge and then seemingly pushes us off, we have a great opportunity to surrender completely to Him.

Not that there still won’t be pain, hurt, or uncertainty about what’s ahead. But with those still, quiet moments of surrender, we can be assured God is with us. God can, with such short, quiet moments still quiet our storms. You and I are not alone…ever.