Be Still

There is no doubt David was in touch with God and with his own soul. David learned to pour out his heart to God, “for God is our refuge” (Psalm 62:8). How did David learn to do that? Just think about David’s younger years as a shepherd. He was out in the wilderness with ample time to think, admire God’s creation, and talk to God about anything troubling his soul. David had plenty of natural solitude in his line of work.

Now, imagine for a moment David had an iPhone. Could the entertaining features of such technology have distracted David? We all experience this on a regular basis in our modern world. Devices all around us clamor for our attention. Companies pay high salaries to those who can recruit the most of our attention and turn it into ad dollars.

Would we still have had the rich expressions of David in prayer — in thanksgiving, in praise, in anger, in sadness? Or would he have tried to numb his soul with entertaining distractions that ignite certain chemicals in our brains?

Allow me to present another scenario. Think about the prophet Daniel. Daniel learns that there is a new law against prayer to God. Daniel 6:10 tells us, “Now when Daniel learned the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.” What if instead of coming home and getting on his knees in prayer, he went home, flipped on a television, then tuned into his favorite news station and watched the latest coverage of the new law? Would he have been caught praying or watching tv?

Why am I imagining such scenarios? It helps me think about the impact of technology upon my spiritual life. We are like fish in water. The fish does not think at all about the water. It just exists in it, as we do in technology. We take for granted cars, electricity, internet, cell phones, televisions and radios—but how do they impact our spiritual life?

It is interesting to take notice of Jesus and that one of the things He was known for was seeking silence and solitude. Luke 5:16 says of Jesus that He often withdrew to lonely places to pray. I am convinced to be like Jesus and to have a meaningful spiritual life we must be intentional about turning off technology and being alone with God. If we rewind to David again, he had quiet, he had nature, and he had time to meditate and pray. In our age, technology can easily invade all our waking moments. I am not advocating for us to throw away our technology, but as Christians, we must become skilled at taking time out and setting limits on technology. When we have silence, we can hear our own soul, and God invites us to pour out our hearts to Him.

God offers true help for the soul, “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost” (Isaiah 55:1).

Christ can still lead us to quiet waters and restore our souls (Psalm 23:2). There is still peace for the soul that Psalm 131:2 describes, “But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me.” Peace is still a fruit of the Spirit. I encourage you to set limits on technology and take time to practice silence. Be still and know that He is God (Psalm 46:10). Peace to you.