Nonstop (Friday Devotional)

 

“Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations; I am exalted in the earth.”

- Psalm 46:10

It’s been a busy week at SGBC! Vacation Bible School is always chock full of activity—crafts being made, games being played, songs being sung—all in the name of teaching kids God’s Word in a way that will stick in their memories and resonate in their hearts.

Some of what happens during VBS week is visible to everyone. If you’ve driven by the church this week, you’ve seen me running around with the kids during recreation time. If you’ve walked the halls, you’ve heard the songs playing full blast in the sanctuary and the kids shout-singing to try and match the volume.

And there’s plenty that’s gone on behind the scenes too, all in the name of giving these kids the best experience possible. There have been frantic trips to Walmart to buy extra supplies. There have been hours spent in the kitchen before and after dinner cooking and cleaning. And even when the lights are turned off and the doors locked, there have been hours of debriefing and composing emails and texting parents.

The activity never seems to stop during VBS week; we’re always going, going, going. And everyday life can be the same way—between your work and your family and your bills and all the rest, it can seem like you never get an opportunity to take a breath.

But every night this week at the end of our opening rally—after half an hour of music and shouting and silliness—we always took a minute to stop and pray. The colorful decorations were blocked out by our closed eyes, the only noise was the hum of the air conditioner, and the only movement was the fidgeting of the energetic preschoolers. For just a minute, we stopped our well-meaning activity and gave our full attention to God’s presence.

In our overly stimulated world, where we always need to be doing something or watching something or listening to something, there’s some universal truth to the wisdom of the psalmist—maybe today, more than ever, we need to slow down for the sake of our souls. So let me encourage you to do just that today—stop, close your eyes, bow your head, and pray. You have all day to engage in activity—take a moment to be still and know that He is God.