One of my favorite songs has always been "Be Still and Know that He is God" by Stephen Curtis Chapman. The scripture reference (which is also one of my favorites) is taken from  Psalm 46:10 — a simple yet profound verse. I sometimes wonder which part of the verse is most desired by God — that I am still or that I know He is God. I think the answer to my own question would be that you can't have one without the other. Something to ponder anyway ...

Today, I'm adding to those two favorites a verse that my children have learned this week while memorizing  Psalm 37. Verse 7 says, "Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him." I know I am drawn to both Stephen's song and these scriptures because it's so difficult for me, in my flesh, to be still. So often God says, "Be still my child," as a gentle reminder to me that I can only hear what he is asking of me, I can only see the unimaginable power He possesses, when I decide to quit talking, asking, and planning, and simply ... listen.

I don't know about you, but my heavenly Father sometimes has to go to extremes to get my attention. He decided in the last two weeks to take the "be still" part of my life into his own hands. In his infinite wisdom, the Father graciously moved our family to Noodle, TX — yes, there IS a town in Texas called Noodle.

If any of you are having difficulty being still and knowing He is God, please feel free to come and visit us on our borrowed 1700 acres in the next month so. You, too, can understand why God sometimes has to purposely remove us from what is comfortable and "normal" so He can show us how distracted and "busy" we are in this big noisy world we live in. He so desperately wants to show himself to us, to tell us he loves us, but so often we can't hear him speak words of love or see His fingerprints in our lives because we are so busy being busy.

I have to tell you, being forced out of "busy" is incredible! It is BEAUTIFUL here ... it is quiet, and peaceful and totally different from the life our family has lived the past 15 years. The closest grocery store is 25 miles, my cell phone doesn't work here, and yes, we have dial-up internet. All reasons for a "city" girl with two ministries and home-schooled children to get a little — ok a lot — CRAZY!

BUT ... you know our God is faithful. Outside my bedroom window, He brings an incredible sunrise every morning over the pond — matter of fact it's 7:45 a.m. and I'm watching it as I type this to you. There is also a bridge and a windmill (which I love) outside the same window! Almost every day, He sends at least one roadrunner that plays on the bridge for me and my children to watch.

As Landon, Savannah, and I adventure through the 1700 acres every day we discover the creator God has an imagination we've never known. He may have forgotten to put big trees in West Texas, but there are cactus and rocks and valleys and gorgeous terrain. The wind blowing on our faces reminds us of His angels that are protecting us everyday. When we sit on the rocks overlooking the valleys and hills, we hear nothing. Did you read that correctly ... we hear NOTHING. The blessing of this is that when you PRAY in the quietness of this place you actually CAN hear God because there are no distractions.

God is gently calling you to be still!
Why am I sharing "Life in Noodle, TX" with you? Because, my sweet friends, I know that you too need to be still ... I know that you too need to find a quiet place where God can show himself to you in a mighty way so you can, possibly for the first time in your life, "know that He is God."

I know that I desperately needed Him to help me be in a place of solitude so I could hear what he was asking of me as a mother and a wife and as a ministry leader. He wanted me to watch the sunrise every morning, to get into His word and lay myself face down at His throne so He could show me the path I needed to take to be in His will. I was off course ... way off course. He wanted me to see through His eyes and not my own the direction I needed to go. He wanted for me to prioritize things differently and allow Him to be the love of my life and the only guide in my journey.

God is gently calling you to be still ... can you hear him? What blessing has your Heavenly Father planned in the stillness awaiting only you? What amazing truth is almighty God going to reveal to you when you surrender your heart to the quietness of his throne? Let him show you. You only have to "be still" and he will do the rest ... remember ... He is God.