All Of the Above
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress. Psalm 46:10-11
In school, we always had multiple-choice tests. Even on social media, they have these types of tests to test your knowledge or evaluate your personality. In my high school, the best ones always made sure you knew the answer, stating multiple truths and asking you to give the best answer. For example, a question might be, “Which formula would net you the answer of 4,” and answer A would be 2 + 2 answer B would be 5 – 1, and answer C would be 3 + 1. Then answer D would be ‘All of the Above.’ The best answer in this question would be ‘D.’
Thinking of tests, here is a question although there is no wrong answer here. What is the greatest enemy of God to us? I have been challenged by something I was reading that the more I think about the more I realize its truth. We think it is sin, but while it is a challenge that separates us from God, we can always repair our relationship through repentance. Is it guilt? For some, but once overcome, you find a more liberating version of our relationship with God. Is it ourselves? Well, that is a simplified version like Adam and Eve because we all in that sense can be an enemy of God, and yet, He still calls us His friend. So, what is it? Here is a novel idea. It is time.
Why is time an enemy of God to us? Because we always are finding ways to take it away from that relationship. We will put it in a limited box or if you were once like me, you would make sure to say grace at the table before eating to remind you of His presence in your life. However, that is not having a relationship. Placing a time to focus on God once during the day through quiet time is a great way to focus on God, but is that the ‘only’ time we focus on Him? If so, we are putting Him in a box, and that is not good. If we only go to Him when things are going horribly wrong in our world, then we are a friend of convenience calling on Him only when things are going bad. You see, what makes time an enemy is we only have a limited amount of it and how we choose to use it gives us great insight into what our relationship is with Him.
So how do we fight this enemy? The answer is all the above. We make deliberate time to pray and talk to Him. We say grace at mealtime to give thanks for all the things He has done. We pray of thankfulness when we arrive safely somewhere, and we seek His counsel when we need to make big decisions. And yes, we go to Him when all is not right in the world and only, He can make the crooked road straight. Recognizing when time is not being used as intended for God allows for adjustments to be made, ensuring that important commitments are not overlooked if we get too busy. Establishing a routine focused on making time for personal priorities can help maintain balance, even when schedules become busy. While the busyness of time might take hours away, we ensure that we never forget our time with God because that is how we ensure the enemy of time never defeats us.
Time often pushes us in unexpected directions, making it important to remain close to God. Today’s verses emphasize being still to sense His presence. He is always near, even when time feels urgent. Let us be still and know that He is our everything. What does it mean to "be still" in the context of your relationship with God? How do you currently allocate time for your relationship with God? What practical steps can you take to ensure that God is never distant from you, even in the busyness of life? My prayer is that when we face the challenge of finding ways to build a closer relationship with God, we find them and realize the best answer is ‘All of the Above.’ Amen.