Anyone who spent anytime boating this summer saw the buoys that warn slow no wake and anyone who has ever spent time seeking God has heard be still. During a time of quiet prayer my mind began to pond about the connection between the two admonitions.
In boating a slow no wake zone means that all vessels must reduce their speed so the wake, any noticeable disturbance in the water left behind the craft, will cause no discomfort, hazard, injury or damage to person, vessels or property. That is easy enough to understand. The areas of slow no wake are set in order to protect land, vegetation, habitat, and property. In praying be still and know that I am God is a bit harder for me to understand and to whole-heartedly put into practice. I have difficulty trusting that “just being” in prayer is enough. In trying to come to some enlightenment, I discovered that be still comes from the Hebrew term rapha and it refers to that which is slack or it means to let drop. It seems to say that we need to drop our hands, relax, go limp…let God be God. The times of be still and know that I am God are meant protect us and that we may enjoy a calm confidence in God. So whether you are boating or praying I have come to realize that there are times to go fast and furious and there are times to meander and go with the flow. I am going to do my best to trust and seek God at all times…even in the times of slow no wake.
Be still and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10
Sister Lisa Maurer
Sister Lisa Maurer was born and raised in Sleep Eye, Minnesota. Before entering the Monastery in 2007, she taught and coached in Catholic Schools within the New Ulm Diocese. Sister Lisa Made her Perpetual Monastic Profession in July ll, 2012. Her first ministry as a Benedictine Sister was working at the parishes of St. Lawrence and St. Joseph in Duluth. Currently she is Director of Mission Integration for the Benedictine Health System.