AMERICANITIS WAS HER PROBLEM. Because of her arrival at a railroad station, a lady had but five minutes to make connection with an outgoing train. As she ran toward the train, a Pullman car porter waved her to slow down and said, “Lady, you better take it easy or you’re going to come down with “Americanitis.” “What’s that?” gasped the lady, to which the porter replied, “I can’t tell you what it is, but I can tell you how it acts. Americanitis is running up an escalator. It is walking rapidly on a people-mover at the airport terminal.”

Have you ever seen anyone running up an escalator? Sure you have. Perhaps you have been guilty of it yourself---trying to catch that plane or get to that interview.

So many of us are getting nowhere fast! Like ants disturbed on an anthill, we scurry hither, thither, and yon. Taut nerves are snapping and over-wrought minds are cracking, with the result that there are more mental patients in hospitals than any other kind.

Centuries ago, the Lord addressed this issue. He saw it coming, so He spoke to us through the prophet Isaiah. And if ever a scripture was contemporary, this one surely is: “Be still and know that I am God. In returning and rest shall you be saved. In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength.”

“But Lord, it’s so hard to be still with all that’s happening in our world. The information highway beckons to me; she lures me to her side with promises of news, current events, politics, entertainment, sports, weather, and a whole host of other facts. It is important that I stay up-to-date and improve my scope of knowledge, isn’t it?” And then I hear within my soul, this refrain, “BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD.”

“But Lord, this a fast-paced culture. We have to keep up or we will be left behind. There are projects to complete, assignments to finish, goals to meet. The prize is always to the swift. Everyone wants it ASAP. In fact, they want it yesterday. The pressure is on to produce in record time. You understand, don’t you, Lord?” “BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD.”

“But Lord, how can one be still when the world is so filled with constant racket? Highway noise, sirens, car stereos, television, crying babies, telephones, factory whistles, clocks, beepers, cell phones, lawn mowers, chain saws, barking dogs. There is no end of clamor. Even nature offers no help for there is always the distant sound of the call of the wild.” “BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD.”

“I wish I had more time for you, Lord, but the demands are great. There is so much to do. The church needs my gifts of service. My boss expects me to finish that project. My wife wants me to devote more time to our relationship. My children want me to help them with their school work. And beside all of this, I need to take time to care for my body. Exercise is important. Right?” “BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD.”

“I am so tired, dear God. My strength is sapped, my energy depleted. The demands upon my time have left me weak and numb. I can’t think straight. A quiet time is the last thing I am interested in, even though I know it is the very thing I most need. After I have rested, I promise to get alone with You. You do understand, don’t you, Lord?” “BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD.”

“My mind is more preoccupied than ever, Lord. It is so difficult to concentrate for even a few moments. I find myself thinking of the day’s events---appointments,, chores, etc. I know I must focus and learn to listen to You. If only I could somehow push out of my min these annoying distractions.” “BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD.”

“But sometimes I feel as did the Psalmist when he penned these words from his anguished heart: ‘Fear and trembling have beset me; horror has overwhelmed me. I said, ‘O, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest. I would flee far away and stay in the desert’ (Psalm 55:5-7). These are troublesome times. Fear is running rampant. Fear of the economy. Fear of terrorists. Fear of disease. Fear of growing old. My mind is fidgeting. My nerves are frayed. And then, again, I hear these words ringing in my mind: “BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD.”

In the midst of teaching, healing, traveling, and preaching, Jesus never allowed the pace of life to deter Him from spending time with His heavenly Father. Mark wrote, “In the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed” (Mark 1:35).

“BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD.” Know that I AM. Know that I am in control. Be assured that I am with you. Be confident of My presence. Rest in Me. Let me soothe your troubled mind and calm your anxious fears. Be still and know.

I have a treasure which I prize,
It’s like I cannot find;
There’s nothing like it on the earth,
‘Tis this—a quiet mind.

But ‘tis not that I am stupefied,
Or senseless, dull, or blind;
‘Tis God’s own peace within my heart
That forms my quiet mind.

I found this treasure at the Cross,
And there to every kind
Of weary, heavy-ladened soul,
Christ gives a quiet mind.

My Savior’s death and risen life
To give them were designed;
His love’s the never failing spring
Of this, my quiet mind.

IN JUST FOUR DAYS, we will be celebrating the greatest event in all of human history—the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It was without a doubt the most glorious day because it signaled the death of death. It ushered in a new age---an age of freedom, hope and certainty of life beyond the grave. If Christ be not risen, our faith is vain (1 Cor. 15:14). The whole of the New Testament revelation rests on this as an historical fact. On the day of Pentecost, Peter argued the necessity of Christ's resurrection from the prediction in Psalm 16 (Acts 2:24-28). In his own discourses, also, our Lord clearly prophesied his resurrection. Easter means that our enemies, sin, the curse, and death, are beaten. Because He lives we can face tomorrow, because He lives, all fear is gone, because we know He holds the future, and life is worth the livin, just because He lives.

The story is told about a distinguished man, the only white person buried in a Georgia cemetery reserved exclusively for blacks. He had lost his mother when he was just a baby. His father, who never married again, hired a black woman named Mandy to help raise his son. She was a Christian and she took her assignment seriously. Seldom has a motherless boy received such warmhearted attention. One of his earliest memories was of Mandy bending tenderly over him in his upstairs bedroom each day and softly saying, “Wake up---God’s mornin’ is come.”
As the years passed this devoted woman continued to serve as his surrogate mother. Eventually the young man went away to college, but when he would come home on holidays and in the summer she would still climb the stairs and call him in the same loving way.

One day after he had become a successful statesman, the sad message came: “Mandy is dead. Can you attend her funeral?” As he stood by her grave in the cemetery, he turned to his friends and said, “When I die, I want to be buried here beside Mandy. I like to think that on Resurrection Day she’ll speak to me again and say, “Wake up, my boy, God’s morning” is come!”

“HOW DO YOU THINK OF GOD?” and “When do feel most close to God?” These were two questions posed by my local newspaper, The Kalamazoo Gazette. They were soliciting replies in writing. Four were printed in the Gazette in the “Faith” section on March 1, 2008 and the balance can be read at www.mlive.com/kzgazette. Click on “Gazette Extra.”

Of the 29 responses, at least one was an atheist. All of them make interesting reading and reveal a great deal about whether we believe God is personal or impersonal. I was one of the several dozen submitted and my offering is as follows:
“God walked into my life when I was unprepared. As an 18-year-old, I was searching for purpose and meaning in my life. I looked for these in religion and discovered them in a person. God the Son revealed himself to me and in doing so met all the needs of my heart. When I received him into my life, I was forgiven, adopted into his forever family and given a task to complete.
God is all about relationship. His Spirit and my spirit have established a partnership of sorts. He is the senior partner, and I am happy to work with him to accomplish his goals.
Trying to explain God is a little like trying to explain a kiss. You can check the dictionary definition: "A caress with the lips; a gentile touch or contact."
But does that really capture the essence of what a kiss is? Does that describe what a mother does when she tenderly places her lips on the forehead of her newborn child? Is that what the young lover does when he says good night to his girl?
Just as words cannot completely capture all that is involved in what we know by experience and attempt to describe as a "kiss," we also cannot fully comprehend, explain, or define "God." We can, however, know him through experiencing his revelation of himself to us in his word and in the person of Jesus Christ.
Of all the attributes assigned to God in the Bible, none is more appealing than his love. As John wrote in his third epistle, "How great is the love that the Father has bestowed upon us that we should be called the children of God "(3:1). It has been said that love is not a quality that God possesses but rather the all-embracing totality of what he is. When this love is shed abroad in one's heart, it is a powerful force, enabling us to love our enemies, care for the hurting, reach out to the dying and, most especially, long for the lover. It is wonderful to know that God loves us personally, no matter what our experience has been. His love transcends all barriers, and each one of us is most precious in his sight.”
John 3:16 captures the essence of God's great love: "For God (greatest lover) so loved (the greatest degree) the world (the greatest extent) that he gave (the greatest act) his only begotten son (greatest gift) that whosoever believes in him (greatest opportunity) should not perish (greatest promise) but have eternal life (the greatest possession)."