WOW: Stop… and Be Still

As much as we stress the importance of having daily quiet times, in an active household like ours, quiet moments are few and far between. Sometimes the best we can do is stop and be still.

That’s because noise is a natural byproduct of having ten people under one roof. And when that number swells to twenty-two like it did last week when all our kids and grandkids were home for the holidays, silence is even rarer.

With that many people around, there’s no guarantee of quiet even during those sacred, peaceful hours between three and five in the morning. Even at that time of night, somebody is prowling around the kitchen or snoring on the couch or shuffling to the bathroom.

So it’s a good thing God calls us — not to be quiet, but — to be still.

“He says, ‘Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.'” (Psalm 46:10)

Quiet is nice, but you can choose to be “still” even when “quiet” eludes you. You can stop and be still, even in the midst of chaos or confusion.

Being still simply means to stop. To pause. To cease from other activity.

God asks us to be still and to meditate on the fact that “I AM God.”

We should pause to do this as often as we can, but especially during this season of advent when there is so much hustle and bustle and endless activity stirring around us. Rather than getting swept away by all of that, carve out a few moments — quiet or not — to “be still and know that I am God.”

Use that time to:

• Reflect on God’s goodness toward you
  Psalm 23:6
  Psalm 116:12
  Psalm 145:7-9
• Recall God’s faithfulness to you
  Psalm 119:90
  2 Thessalonians 3:3
  2 Timothy 2:13
• Remember God’s great love for you
  Lamentations 3:22-23
  1 John 4:9-10
  John 15:14

Keeping Christ in Christmas means keeping our thoughts fixed on Him. And one of the best ways we can do that… starts with being still.

This week’s verse can be found in the sixth set of our Scripture Memory Flashcards:

And for extra practice, I’ve made more handwriting printables, as well:

Plus, in case you missed them, here are links to the first five sets of flashcards and practice sheets, too:

• Scripture Memory Cards – Set 1
• Scripture Memory Cards – Set 2
• Scripture Memory Cards – Set 3
• Scripture Memory Cards – Set 4
• Scripture Memory Cards – Set 5
• Memory Verse Copywork – Set 1
• Memory Verse Copywork – Set 2
• Memory Verse Copywork – Set 3
• Memory Verse Copywork – Set 4
• Memory Verse Copywork – Set 5

And I’ve also uploaded a progress chart to help you keep track of which verses your child has already memorized (some of the verses listed are from sets of flashcards that will be published in the future).

May God honor your efforts to hide His Word in your heart!