Stillness…ceasing from activity…seems a funny practice to learn from a bee! Quivering, flurry-filled movement, constant query from flower-to-flower, our apiary friends whiz around the garden in buoyant whirs of wings. Their buzzing, soundings so similar to the word “busy,” is their unending refrain, a baseline reverberating that might otherwise hustle us along a haphazard, frenzied pace of garden chores and work life.
Except for the Lord’s command: Be Still.
Be-e still? A play on words possible only among English-speakers—are we prone to be the most fanatic, in need of such warning? Do we aspire to productivity beyond passion’s sustenance, causing apprehension and angst, more than other people-groups?
I don’t think I have ever noticed a bee being still, but I know it would require me to desist my desires and quiet my thoughts long enough to follow a little fuzzy flyer until he finally rested, hmmmm. Would I eventually spy the bee doing likewise as I would be, pausing among the posies, resting in the Presence?
These Days of Awe, from Yom Teruah to Yom Kippur, inspire a practice of resting and reflection. As always, I am convinced a garden is the place to go at such a time as this…well, for all time, really! Let the land buzzing with loveliness return us to God and His Word.
Cease striving and know that I am God;
Psalm 46:10 NASB
Surrender your anxiety! Be silent and stop your striving and you will see that I am God.
Psalm 46:10 TPT
Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!
Psalm 46:10 NKJV
The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.
Exodus 14:14 NIV
Adonai will do battle for you. Just calm yourselves down!
Exodus 14:14 CJB
The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.
Exodus 14:14 NKJV
The Lord is fighting for you! So be still!
Exodus 14:14 GW
He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
Mark 4:39 NIV
Jesus: Be still. It is I. You have nothing to fear.
Matthew 14:27 VOICE
Prayer: O Lord, You see the whirl of work I am in; You hear the hazing headlines; and You know the chaos trying to close in. In the face of these advances, You advise me to Be Still. Release my anxiety-driven attempts to your everlasting promise, you say (Psalm 139:24). Crossover from a dead-end existence to your forever-free life, you offer (John 5:24). Bless me to stop buzzing long enough to discern how to translate this Spiritual guidance into earthy, daily life practice. May I trust You to fight on my behalf, to show me more about you, and to expect your arrival.
Find similar devotions in God’s Word for Gardeners Bible on Peace, from the Garden Tools section, beginning on page a-40
Click here for more articles on pollinators in the garden in the Devotions Blog
CJB notes Scripture quotations taken from the Complete Jewish Bible by David H. Stern. Copyright © 1998. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Messianic Jewish Publishers, 6120 Day Long Lane, Clarksville, MD 21029. www.messianicjewish.net.
GW denotes Scripture quotations taken from GOD’S WORD®, © 1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020 by God’s Word to the Nations Mission Society. Used by permission.
NASB denotes Scripture quotations taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
NIV denotes Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.®
NKJV denotes Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
TPT denotes Scripture quotations taken from The Passion Translation®. Copyright © 2017, 2018 by Passion & Fire Ministries, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ThePassionTranslation.com
VOICE denotes Scripture quotations taken from The Voice™. Copyright © 2012 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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