Whenever I drive by it, I can’t help but take my eyes off the road for a second or two. Whenever I walk or run by it—and that is often— can’t help but gaze at its rolling knolls and tall grasses and wildflowers. And whenever I walk through it, I can’t help but stand in the middle of it all and just stand, and be in awe, and rest, and breathe deeply, and find invigoration for the journey.
Especially if you’re from around here, in a land filled with woods and mountains, there is something about a wide open field that is magnetic—something that makes you want to pause from the chaos, busyness and to-dos and pull off the road for a second and just take it all in. What’s with that? Perhaps it is as simple as God’s DNA in all that He has made—fields, creation, and we creatures that He loves—that is bubbling to the surface, and we don’t even realize it. Bubbling up and begging for attention amidst all the 24/7 noise. Not unlike what the psalmist famously discovered many years ago:
“The Eternal God is my shepherd, He cares for me always.
He provides me rest in rich, green fields beside streams of refreshing water.
He soothes my fears;
He makes me whole again,
Steering me off worn, hard paths to roads where truth and righteousness echo His name…” (from Psalm 23, The Voice)
And sometimes, those “rich, green fields” can even show up as a field of dreams…
One morning not long ago, I awoke to words from a song I had not heard in awhile:
“And all I did was pray
And all I did was worship
And all I I did was bow down
And all I did was stay still…”
Strange. I wasn’t sure where that came from or what I had been dreaming about, but I did know I had a lot on my mind and lots of loose threads to corral. And I had to wonder that if instead of mere coincidence, God, who neither slumbers or sleeps, saw that as well. Perhaps those random lyrics weren’t random after all and were simply a loving reminder that I needed to hear to start the day:
“I AM still here.”
And as I peered into them, I realized that those lyrics in the night weren’t strange at all but were the formula for getting through just about anything in life, including all those loose ends that need corralling:
Stop striving.
Stop trying to win this battle on your own.
Stop running away and run perseveringly to green pastures instead.
Stop trying to live by performance and approval and instead find God’s grace and mercy in time of every need.
Be still and remember that you have a Savior who is forever your advocate, no matter what.
He was, He is, and He always will be your defender:
“The Lord will fight for you. All you have to do is keep still.” (Exodus 14:14)
And whenever you need a reminder, go take a walk, or go for a run…
To that familiar place nearby where you can’t help but gaze at its rolling knolls and tall grasses and wildflowers.
To go stand in the middle of it all and just stand, and be in awe, and rest, and breathe deeply, and find invigoration for the journey.
And remember once more, for the thousandth time:
“Let be, and be still, and know, recognize and understand,
that I am God.”
(Psalm 46:10 Amplified Classic)
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