Being still is not something we are conditioned for. 

We live in an age of “more” and “now”. But the faster we move and the more we cram into our lives, the harder it is to notice. Yet so much of the Christian life requires the act of noticing. 

Slowing down is not optional, it’s essential. 

Deuteronomy 5:33 says…

“You must follow exactly the path that the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live, and that it may go well with you…” 

This instruction is sequential. In order to follow the path that is laid out for us, we must follow the commands the Lord our God has given us. If we want to follow those commands, we must know His voice enough to recognize when He speaks so that we may discern His instruction. 

And why would we follow these commands? Why can we trust this instruction? How do we know this is the path worth following with precision? Because He loves us and He knows this path is the one that leads to life, so that it will go well with us. 

The book of Deuteronomy is a retelling and a reminder of the story of the faithfulness of God to His people thus far. Chapter 6 verses 23-24 say: 

“He brought us out from there in order to bring us in, to give us the land that he promised on oath to our ancestors. Then the Lord commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our lasting good, so as to keep us alive, as is now the case.” 

There it is again. Why can we trust His voice to lead us out into what’s next? Why can we believe Him to give us the best instruction? Because He brings us out to bring us in, for our lasting good. 

It is one thing to hear of the love of God, it is a wholly different thing to experience it - to breathe it in and know its reality deep in your bones. This is not something that can be taught or a switch that can be turned on. It is only by making space to slow down - and practice sitting alone with the LORD - that one can truly begin to discover the depth of his steadfast love and kindness, which make every instruction worth trusting. 

Psalm 100:3 says: 

“Know that the Lord is God. It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.” 

In the busyness and distractedness of our modern lives, it is difficult to imagine the kind of stillness that a shepherd would experience with his flock. 

Hour after hour, day after day, week after week. Shepherd and sheep together, yet in solitude. 

The sheep would be attuned to the movements of the shepherd. The shepherd would carefully study his flock- knowing their tendencies for better or worse. Being still together. 

In his book Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools, Tyler Staton says, 

“Stillness is the quiet space where God migrates from the periphery back to the center, and prayer pours forth from the life that has God at the center… Many confuse stillness with waiting for revelation. Sometimes revelation does come, and it’s marvelous. But that’s not the purpose of stillness. The purpose is consent. It is the daily practice of consenting to the work of God’s Spirit, which is deeper than understanding or words. It is how “deep calls to deep” (Psalm 42:7) from our soul to his.” 

John 10:3-4 tells us

“...[The Shepherd] calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice.” 

The LORD is a good and kind and trustworthy shepherd. As we choose to be still together with Him, removing the distractions that are fighting for our attention, He is faithful to be still together with us. He brings us out to bring us in, for our lasting good.