When my wife and I flew back from Florida, our two cats flew with us.

My wife had Angel in a carrying case under the seat in front of her. I got Lucifer.

Our nickname for “Lucifer” is “Goose”. Usually, he is an affectionate, cuddly cat. (See my blog “Goose Cuddles”).

But that’s when I’m cuddling him. Or feeding him.

Now, he was mad. He was in a carrying case pushed beneath the seat in front of me. The ground shook. The air roared.

I tried to comfort him. I spoke his name in a soothing tone of voice. I patted him as best I could through the netting.

It did no good.

Goose hissed at me. He bared his teeth at me.

I thought about how I hiss at God when he puts me in a situation that I don’t like. I thought about how I bare my teeth at God when he puts me in a scary place.

Gone are my cuddles. Replaced by hisses and bared teeth!

At such times, I draw comfort by meditating on Psalm 46. The Psalmist begins by remembering:

God is our refuge and strength,

     an ever-present help in trouble.

Therefore, we will not fear, though

     the earth give way

and the mountains fall into the

     heart of the sea,

though its waters roar and foam

     and the mountains quake with

their surging. (Psalm 46:1-2).

Nevertheless, the LORD Almighty says, “Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10).

Every morning in my meditations I repeat this mantra: “Be still, and know that I am God.” 

There’s always some reason that I need to remind myself to “Be still”, despite so many things to be agitated about—so many things I want to hiss about. So many things I want to bare my teeth about.

Some of the things are personal, such as health and finances. Some of the things are national such as homelessness and hunger. Some of the things are global such as violence and climate change.

Hissing and baring my teeth at God won’t help. Instead, I need to be still, and remember that the LORD Almighty is God.

So I can be still, trusting him to be compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands of generations, forgiving wickedness, rebellion sin, and limiting the bad consequences of bad choices as much as feasible. (my paraphrase of Exodus 34:6-7).

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT

Do you ever hiss and bare your teeth at God? How? Why?

Despite so many situations that you want to hiss about and bare your teeth about, do you try to “Be still”? How? Why?

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For related ideas, please read my book Hoping in the LORD, at pages 309-333, describing how the Resurrected Jesus carries us across oceans of despair, hopeless confusion, fears, doubts, denials, and failures to the Promised Land.

Also, please read my blog “Meditations: Be Still”.