Real. Present. God

Real. Present. God.

That was the theme of our National Youth Gathering this year, held in Minneapolis. I just got back, and I'm a little tired, but mostly amazed, impressed, and inspired by the conference itself, and by the youth who were willing to take a step back from the rigor of life and invest in their faith for a few days.

We actually were together for 6 straight days. We drove. We ate. We stayed up late. We laughed, cried, hugged and made decisions together. When it was over, we weren't really ready for it to be. It was a powerful experience that left us with memories to last a lifetime, and encouragement to live out our faith through the storms and troubles of life.

We looked closely at Psalm 46, and were reminded that Christians aren't going to have peace just because they know God. Trouble is real, and it is cosmic; it's not avoidable by "being good enough." Insurance companies identify some of these earthly, natural, unavoidable troubles as "acts of God."

The call in Psalm 46 is to "be still" in the midst of the natural storms, as well as in the very human wars, bullying, injuries, or other troubles. "Be still" tells us to stop, and see that God is real, and present...just as He promised He would be. The Garden of Eden was formed out of the chaos; the Tabernacle was established during the wilderness wandering; Jesus Christ came to live and walk the earth in turbulent times; and, the Spirit dwells in the midst of our conflicted hearts today.

The Gathering is refreshing every three years, but God gives us the weekly Sabbath as the "be still!", the "shut up!", the "enough, already!" and the commanded pause that we desperately need, to regularly remember, honor, and enjoy the promises of our Real. Present. God.

"Be still, and know that I am God." - Psalm 46:10