Be Still and Read!

I'm not a person who gets all nerved up and rattled too easily, that is one of the ways God created me that I am very thankful for. I still like the Bible verses that tell us to be quiet, be calm or be still. I don't know why I like these so much since I don't get all hyped up - but I do. When I am home alone, I turn the tv on first thing in the morning to catch the news, and the rest of the day there is no noise in the house until the rest of the family gets home. I love peace and quiet. One of my favorite times to pray is late at night or first thing in the morning; when it is still dark out, I'm still snuggled in bed and no one is up yet. Peace and quiet.

Yesterday in Bible study we were talking about Jonah and the wild sea. No one in the boat thought to be quiet, still, calm and pray - which is understandable in those circumstances. Someone brought up a verse for us to read in Exodus that dealt with being scared. But Moses told the People, "Don't be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm." Exodus 14:13a, 14 nlt Another verse to underline in my Bible. There have been a few times when I have been scared, nervous, didn't have a clue what to do. Hopefully next time this happens to me I can remember this verse or one of the other ones that tell us the same thing. In tough situations, if we can just remember to be calm, still and quiet, it allows us to hear Jesus so much easier. Otherwise chaos reigns, everyone else gets anxious and nothing gets solved. Many times when we find ourselves in these situations, we are worrying for nothing. Everything is out of our control anyway. The best thing for us to do is be calm, be quiet, be still and pray. It may help someone else around you to relax a little bit. There have been a few times for me that I was in a situation where this is what I did. Someone later asked me how I could just stand or sit there and deal with it. They thought I was so strong. Little did they know that I was not strong at all, it was all God. I knew I could not deal with the situation on my own, all I could do was stand there and pray. Thankfully God has given me a fairly laid back personality so I don't get to worked up and that helps me to remember that He wants me to be still, calm and quiet.

One finished book and a new one to start! I love books! I could read all day, actually I am guilty of doing just that once in a awhile! I finished A Name of Her Own last week. This was a historical novel based on a true story about a woman that went out west with her husband and two young sons in 1811 - 1812. The things she had to deal with being the only woman on this expedition, dealing with an abusive husband and trying to protect her sons from their Dad, the elements and Indians were unbelievable. Them women back then were made of a lot more than I am! A book I ordered from our local Christian book store came in just in time. In January or February I said I wanted to do some studying on Joseph's life. I have read two other books in this biographical series by Charles R. Swindoll, and learned from both of them. I will now be reading the biography on Joseph. I started it yesterday and am already expecting it to be as good as the other books in this series were.

I need to get off of here now so I can get a few chores done, get the hound doggers for a walk before the rain (or freezing rain) starts and then hit the couch with my new book! I hope you all find some time to get some enjoyable reading in today.