I enjoy a glance up at the stars when taking out the trash or getting home late, or just walking outside for a few minutes before locking up for the night.

But seeing the stars in all their glory involves moving away from ambient light and spending more than a few seconds peering at the heavens. Stargazing involves slowing and stillness. Only when our frenetic days fade to quiet do the stars come out.

The Lord speaks of a similar practice: Be still and know that I am God.

Like stargazing, stillness brings out the depth and nuance and brightness of the Lord. It takes quiet and calm to consider his ways. Exactly the opposite of what my daily intake of social media, news channels, and entertainment brings. There are times for these I suppose, but limited. I don’t find the Lord in those places.

Perhaps many of us feel closer to the Lord when outdoors because it’s calmer out there. Our hearts are stiller in the woods than on the freeway.

Loads of people gaze at the stars and grow convinced there must be a God. Stillness under the stars opens us to the one who spoke and flung those very stars into space.

So, in the warmth of a summer evening, stroll outside and enjoy the stars. There’s no better way to be still and know that I am God.

Psalm 46 in reading the Bible cover to cover in 2022

Photo by Ryan Hutton