Monday, July 5

"Be still then and know that I am God."
—Psalm 46:10

Someone once said that what matters is not the breaths we take, but the things that take our breath away. Even this statement stops our breath for a moment, as we consider the truth of it in our own lives. Such moments are ecstatic—sometimes shocking and sorrowful, sometimes surprising, but always they take us into a sacred space where we know the experience of a reality beyond ourselves.

One characteristic of having our breath taken away is that we become still. That is not to say that we are peaceful and serene. In fact, our heart is usually beating with greater energy and we feel more alive than we do in our daily routine existence. 

And in that heated pumping of our heart, we actually enter a stillness where we can know God. We cannot create such moments, but we can choose to close or open our eyes and ears to them. They are not infrequent. They are occurring every day. So be aware.

Make me mindful, O God, of the moments of miracle when my hushed voice whispers "ah" and my breath is shortened, and my heart is still. Let me know You then, in the world beyond my daily routine.

These Signposts originally appeared on explorefaith in 2003.