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"'Be still and know that I am God [Ps 46.10].'
"When we know that, everything is all right."
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The Greek noun merimna means "care [worry], anxiety, concern." The noun in the opening Peter passage is from the verb merizo, "to separate, divide in parts." The sense, then, of "merimna" is of the mind-heart divided, or distracted, by concern. How often do we feel distracted, even "torn" in many, and sometimes conflicting, directions?
We are to "cast" anxiety "upon Him." We are to disown worry. This we do in prayer. This results from what we see in the previous verse: "Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God." We are reminded of Christ teaching us the prelude of exaltation is to be humble: "For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted" [Lk 14.11]. So, the result - we trust that the natural consequence of this humbleness, one that entrusts our care and care-taking to God, is eventual reversal of present difficult circumstances: "exalt you."
Grounded in this leap of trust is faith in the nature of God: "because He cares about you." Our relationship with God, wherein we grow to know Him better, is essential to this faith in His nature and, thus, knowing even what to pray for. Striking is the notation by Larry Crabb, in The PAPA Prayer: "If your relationship with God is not the growing foundation for asking things of God, then petitionary prayer will become hopelessly bewildering and frustrating."
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Here, in the Peter passage, the word "cares" is a positive caring, and the word melo the Authorized Version generally renders "care," but once it reads "care for." We will not prayerfully entrust our worry to the Spirit unless we trust God truly, unconditionally loves us, truly cares for us - both a a loving us and providential protection and guidance. We give our cares to God for God cares for us.
There are different ways to cast care upon God. We can do this through verbal prayer. We, also, can do this through a reverent, open, prayerful, and trusting Silence in the Presence of God. This last mode of prayer is illustrated in the story of the host of John Killenger.
A good description of Silence as spiritual practice is at the "Spirituality and Practice" website (www.spirituaityandpractice.com).
Silence is often referred to in terms of space: the immensity inside, the cave of the heart, the oasis of quiet, the inner sanctuary, the interior castle, the sacred center where God dwells. For centuries, people have used this practice as a resting and renewal stop on the spiritual journey. It provides a way to periodically withdraw from the world. You may go into silence as a prelude to prayer, or you may seek it as the place where through meditation you can contact your deeper self and Spirit.
How can you find this inner quietude, tranquility, and calm? You must make room for it — literally. Find a space of physical silence where you can sit quietly, away from distracting demands, voices, and sounds. Go there every day. It is the gateway to your interior silence.
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