There is a reason why slow cooked and slowly eaten meals are far more satisfying than microwaved, frozen dinners. However, aside from Thanksgiving, many of us do not think we have the time to prepare or enjoy such meals very often. If this is product of our modernized, advanced Western world, maybe we should consider a wiser and healthier day, when food simmered and families chewed and savored their meals and talked rather than scarfing it while wearing ear buds. Maybe we should slow down, and in more ways than one. Yep, there is a spiritual analogy between slow cooking and fast food.

In Psalm 46:10, the Lord says, "Slow down." Well, actually the verse reads, "Be still and know that I am God" (which does require a slow down of sorts).  This one verse with two imperatives has many implications.

Imperative #1 - "Be still." This is not easy for an ADD culture. We are always moving, doing, going. Rarely just being, and hardly ever still. TV. iPods. Fast food. Radio. Internet. Texting. Email.  By the way, the word "still" can also be translated, "silent." Be still. Be silent. Stop doing and just listen. Listen for what? For implication #2.

Imperative #2 - "Know that I am God." This is much more significant that we think at first glance. Why? Because the alternative to knowing that God is God is living as though I am God. I must be in control. I must make a name for myself. I must please everyone around me. I must never fail. In this phrase, the Lord is inviting us to a remarkable freedom. After all, can I imagine what it would be like (1) to not have to be in control, (2) to have someone else give me a name, (3) to be concerned with pleasing only One person (who, I must say, is remarkably easy to please for those who find their life in Jesus), and (4) to have the freedom to fail, knowing that each time I fall, there is a net of mercy and grace waiting to catch me, and arms of a loving Father who is eager to pick me back up. 

I suppose we could go on and on. And being God for some is different than it is for others. For some being God means keeping a position of power and influence, while for others it means trying to overcome deep insecurities by proving one's self in various ways (through income, weight management, grades, promotions, etc.). 

Anyway, some of us, myself included, probably need to slow down, listen to and take time to digest Psalm 46:10. It is a doorway of grace that will give us rest and enable us enjoy the God who, as the rest of the verse says, "will be exalted among the nations." After all, the Lord is the Master Chef who is preparing an eternal, slow cooked banquet for those who will slow down, stop doing, and begin resting and receiving.