Good morning…
After reading yesterday’s post, Be Still And See God, she wrote: “You have highlighted my favorite Bible verse. I love the idea of ‘Be still/Let go and know that I am God.'”
I agreed right away and shed more light: “Yes. I also love this verse. ‘Be still (let go) and know that I am God (and you are not).’ This rich, meaningful addition offers us deeper understanding of how God’s Light spreads through us.”
“Be still and know that I am Love,” Nan C. Merrell paraphrases this well-loved verse.
“Awaken!” she continues, giving practical encouragement as we are transformed by the Light of Christ. “Befriend justice and mercy.”
“Do you not know you bear my Love?” she wonders aloud before posing a private, poignant question. “Who among you will respond?” (Nan Merrell’s Psalms for Praying: An Invitation to Wholeness, 88)
“Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16, MSG).
…Sue…
P.S. A generous friend is allowing me to “let go” of my normal work and family commitments, to get away with God on a three night retreat at her home in Grayton Beach, Florida. I have contacted the Panama City Beach Mission and will take with me the requested items they need most now, as their community continues to recover from the devastating effects of Hurricane Michael. I will take with me comfort (non-dress) shoes for men, women, and children and blankets for families braving cooler temperatures. If you have any shoes or blankets you would like to bring to my home in Vinings over the next twenty-four hours, please bring them to my doorstep and I will pack them in my trunk before I leave early tomorrow morning. While there, I hope to develop connections to help us organize a Women’s Mission Trip to Florida’s panhandle over the next few months. Please pray that God’s Light will keep open house within me, prompting people I meet to open up with God.
