Prayer Box / "Be Still"

In a recent Youth Sunday School lesson I was teaching, we somehow got on to the subject of Prayer Boxes.  (Don't ask me how we got there.)  I explained very simply that a prayer box in ancient times was a way for the Israelites to keep certain verses close to them at all times: literally, they were tied to their heads and arms.  Some were even attached to the door posts of their homes.  (Historical theologians help me out, I know there was a particular verse that was written down and put in those prayer boxes, but I can't remember which one.)  Anyhow, as I quickly talked about prayer boxes, one of the youth asked me, "What would you put in your prayer box?"

I quickly answered: "Psalm 46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God;"  In fact, if you were to ask me what my 'life verse' was: thats it!

You know, recently I was watching the news and the breaking story were the explosions that occured towards the finish line at the Boston Marathon.  While this tragedy causes us to stop and consider just how precious life is, I was struck by piece of news reporting that seemed to go by unmentioned and even appeared to be glanced over at the time.

You see, the ancher man cut to a live interview in progress.  There was a doctor at one of the local Boston hospitals giving an update on the medical situation. When asked, 'How was the staff a the hospital dealing with the crisis' the doctor calmly answered 'We have trained for these kinds of events and everyone was doing just what there training had taught them to do.'

After the live feed concluded, the anchorman went on interview some other contacts the news agency had at various governmental offices: all in an attempt to 'calm the public.'  As I thought about this it occured to me: knowing that the people on the ground were doing what there training had taught them to do, was a comfort to me.  In the end, all the news anchor got from any of the people he interviewed was 'Well, we can't speculate at this time.'  ?????????

I know this will sound weird, but think about it: the idea that the people who were directly involved in the recovery process and who were doing what there training was doing seemed more comforting than experts in offices who couldn't tell me anything.

"Be still, and know that I am God;" this is a verse that I want as I go through my 'training' to stay with me.  No religious expert could say anything to me that would be greater than the fact that God wants me to always remember to "Be Still!"

Don't get me wrong, my 'training' doesn't stop with that one verse, quite the contrary, I am always 'in training.'

Is it not comforting at those times when things are going crazy and we don't know where to turn and we can only 'speculate' on the events going on around us, isn't it nice to know that there will be that one thing that will always be there with us?

God is always with us and He loves us very much.

Something to Think About.