Good morning…
I have loved classic rock music for as long as I can remember but, in his devotional message yesterday, our pastor introduced me to an Eagles song I had never met before. I googled the lyrics and enjoyed my new discovery.
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Learn to Be Still by the Eagles
It’s just another day in paradise
As you stumble to your bed
You’d give anything to silence
Those voices ringing in your head
You thought you could find happiness
Just over that green hill
You thought you would be satisfied
But you never will-
Learn to be still
We are like sheep without a shepherd
We don’t know how to be alone
So we wander ’round this desert
And wind up following the wrong gods home
But the flock cries out for another
And they keep answering that bell
And one more starry-eyed messiah
Meets a violent farewell-
Learn to be still
Learn to be still
Now the flowers in your garden
They don’t smell so sweet
Maybe you’ve forgotten
The heaven lying at your feet
There are so many contridictions
In all these messages we send
(We keep asking)
How do I get out of here
Where do I fit in?
Though the world is torn and shaken
Even if your heart is breakin’
It’s waiting for you to awaken
And someday you will-
Learn to be still
Learn to be still
You just keep on runnin’
Keep on runnin’
Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Henley Donald Hugh / Lynch Stanley
Learn to Be Still lyrics © Black Cypress Music
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Many of us know the first half of the Scripture verse living on my new mug: “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10, NIV). But do you know the less familiar second half of this verse? “I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
And even beyond this stabilizing promise, have you ever explored other translations of this powerful verse?
“Stand silent! Know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation in the world!” encourages The Living Bible. “God says, ‘Stop fighting and know that I am God! I am the one who defeats the nations; I am the one who controls the world'” says the Easy Readers Version. “Surrender your anxiety! Be silent and stop your striving and you will see that I am God. I am the God above all the nations, and I will be exalted throughout the whole earth,” promises The Passion Translation.
Be still and know. Stand silent. Stop fighting. Surrender your anxiety. Be silent and stop your striving. This is our only part in the peacemaking equation. Then God takes center stage. God will be honored by every nation. God controls the world. We see that God is God, the One who promises: “I am the God above all the nations, and I will be exalted throughout the whole earth.”
This all sounds pretty easy, stop, stand, surrender, but being still is often not our forte. Anne Morrow Lindbergh says, “We must relearn to be alone.” The Eagles echo, “Learn to be still.” Learning (and relearning) is a process that takes our time, our commitment, and our full attention.
As human beings we are given another choice. Our other ever-present option is to run, to flee, to speed away. For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: “In returning [to Me] and resting [in Me] you shall be saved; in quietness and in [trusting] confidence shall be your strength.” But you would not… And you said, “No! We will speed [our own course]…” (Isaiah 30:15-16a, AMPC).
As you enjoy the music video below, ask yourself, “Am I learning to be still with God or do I just keep on runnin’?”
…Sue…
