"Be still, and know that I am God." PSALM 46:10 NKJV
Be Still
Think about that…
When was the last time you were just still?
When was the last time you just sat in silence, took a deep breath and just listened?
It seems like life today is not even capable of slowing down, much less being still. Especially with three little kids, stillness, peace and quiet are not words I typically use to describe my days.
But yet, God calls us to be still.
What does that look like?
Where do you even begin to make that happen?
Today’s World
Today’s world is chaos. I feel like I can’t even use that word to describe my days anymore because life is always chaos. There aren’t many moments of rest and while I like being busy, it can take its toll.
Many families are stressed out. Parents are overworked. Kids act out for attention because they aren’t getting the quality time they need. Families in general are over-committed and under-rested and it results in a lot of disfunction.
Why do you think divorce rates are as high are they are today? Because couples are taking time to slow down, spend time with each other and work on their marriage? I doubt it.
Why are more kids diagnosed with ADHD and hyperactive disorders today than ever before? Because they live in calm, peaceful environments where they can spend their days creating, playing and adventuring? Or because they are over-scheduled, and constantly being shuttled to the next activity? I mean honestly, we yell “hurry up!” at our kids and push them to go, go, go and then complain when they won’t sit down and be quiet. What are we really teaching them here?
I’m not saying that either one of these conditions in society result solely from the busyness of our world, but I think it plays a part.
We have become a society so engrossed with immediate satisfaction that we don’t have the patience or tolerance to wait for anything anymore.
Think about it!
Think about how frustrated you get when your phone or computer isn’t working correctly. Think about waiting on the phone for customer service to pick up, only to tell you they can’t make it until next week to fix your TV. Think about how much it can put you in a bad mood and affect the rest of your day.
How silly is that?!
I’m totally guilty too!
Why do we think stress and anxiety have never been higher in society than today?
When you are constantly surrounded by a world moving at 100 miles per hour, you start to feel like you have to as well and when something happens that messes with your plans or doesn’t go how you expected it, it starts to cause tension and stress.
Multiply that by about 20 years and we wonder why we are all so stressed out.
But still, God calls us to be still.
And guess what?
He knows what kind of world we live in. He knows that we have hectic mornings and stressful commutes and busy lives and still, He calls us to be still.
Why?
Because that’s exactly what we need!
It’s ok to be a little busy and with multiple children and being involved in school and sports and church, etc., I don’t know how you could not be at least a little busy. But do you ever take the time to also be still?
Know That I Am God
The second part of that verse is the part that gets me every time. See, it’s important to slow down, take a deep breath every once in a while and relax, but the more important thing is to recognize who God is.
God’s not telling us to lay back, relax, kick our feet up and do nothing.
He’s speaking to us when we are stressed out, at our limit and ready to break…and he simply says, “Be still, and know that I am God.”
To me, that means, “Take a deep breath, I Am who I said I Am, and I am in control. You can trust Me, because I’ve got this.”
See, this is where many people will tell you that God doesn’t give you more than you can handle. And they use references like 1 Corinthians 10:13 to support that. It reads:
"No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it." 1 CORINTHIANS 10:13 NKJV
And I agree with part of that statement, but I feel like those people are missing the second half of the verse. See, when you read it as “God doesn’t give you more than you can handle,” that’s assuming that you won’t have trials, temptations or situations to deal with that you can’t get through on your own. But what I really think it’s saying, is that “God won’t give you temptations or situations to handle that He won’t provide a way for you to overcome.” The important distinction is that you will be able to overcome it, but not necessarily on your own.
That way out, is God.
See, I specifically think that God challenges us with situations that we THINK we can’t handle because without Him, we can’t. He does this so that we HAVE to lean on Him to get through it, and when we do, that brings us closer to Him.
It goes along with what I said in the Are We Enough? post. It’s ok when we feel like we’re not enough because we were never supposed to be enough on our own anyway.
What To Do When You’re Stressed Out
This is the perfect verse to remember when you’re stressed out, or when you feel like you’re at your breaking point.
In fact, go ahead and just commit it to memory now.
God doesn’t want us to live a stressed out life. He doesn’t want us to run and run until we have nothing left. After all, how can we continue to serve if we have nothing left to give?
Instead, regularly fill your cup with His word and His presence. Listen to worship music, read your devotional, read Bible stories to your kids. Keep filling your cup with Jesus and He’ll see you through the things you have deal with on a daily basis.
When you’re at that point where you’re ready to lose it, remember His command to be still and know that He is God. He is all-powerful. He is all-knowing. He is the only one who knows what the future holds and how the situation will end before you even knew you had to deal with it. Why wouldn’t you go to Him for the answers?
