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Be Still

Hello, friends! Today is a short post on a beloved scripture I have kept close to my heart for the past few months. I hope this study brings you encouragement!

Before I jump into the scripture, I want to share something! Several months ago, my therapist gave me homework: to do nothing. For 30 minutes. At this time, I was struggling with anxiety and a constant state of stress, so this was what she recommended me do after our session. To lay down without any distractions – no homework, tv, phone, music, books, anything. Just being still. It’s a lot harder than you think.

After about three minutes, I felt like I was going crazy. My mind was overflowing with other things I had to do and things I forgot about in the midst of my day. My “must-be-productive-all-the-time” mindset really complicated this stillness I was trying to enter.

The world we live in never sleeps. We cannot go a full hour without notifications blowing our phones up, emails from work, school assignments, chores and to-dos. My schedule never really stops being busy.

A verse I cling to in any overwhelming moment is Psalm 46:10a – “Be still, and know that I am God.”

This verse may seem very obvious, but it actually challenges us. Being still does not necessarily mean being lazy or surrounding ourselves with physical quietness, rather it calls us to a deeper, spiritual calmness. It is exploring stillness in our minds as well as our surroundings; not focusing on our own thoughts, worries, plans, to-dos, or what-ifs but solely on the voice of God. Being still is acknowledging God’s sovereignty over our lives and that our best attempt is nothing compared to what He can do.

This Psalm is a testament to God’s power and protection, serving as a reminder that in the midst of the chaos, God’s presence provides a sanctuary of peace and strength. The call to “be still” is not just an invitation to quietness, but it is also a command to recognize and rely on God’s sovereignty.

Being still is knowing that God sees the entire picture while we are only looking at what’s right in front of us. See, our perspective tends to shift our view. When our perspective is set on the “wrong” and unplanned events in our life, our view is going to only focus on that. If we set our perspective on God and the masterpiece He is weaving EVEN in the unplanned events, He begins to confront our view. We begin to find meaning in the mundane. God can use even the small things to bring kingdom value.

The world values busyness; being still isn’t what the world would call “productive”, but it is an act of faith with its own rewards. Embracing this stillness with the Lord serves as a beacon of hope and a reminder of the power of God’s presence. Stillness deepens our relationship with God, offering peace and clarity that cannot be found elsewhere.

If I can be open with you, I went to the Lord one day when I was hurting. I cried to Him (a lot) asking, “What do I do? I feel lost and I don’t know what’s next.” His response was Psalm 46:10. The only thing I had to do was to trust Him.

In this moment, I was challenged to pause, breathe, and surrender all of my fears and anxieties to Him. In my moment of despair when I felt like my world was complete chaos, the Lord told me be still. My weary soul finally found rest when I embraced the stillness. In the quiet, God whispers truths that drown out my loudest fears.

In the stillness and quietness of our heart, we open ourselves up to be led by God. Practicing this command leads to the cultivation of a heart that is open to hearing God’s voice, ready to receive His guidances, and steadfast in the faith that He is always working for our good. These moments of quiet surrender is where I find clarity, peace, and strength, and I can assure you those gifts are there for you to experience as well.

I want to encourage you, friend, to find moments in your day to embrace being still before God. Being still is not only a command from the Lord, but it is also an opportunity to be led by the God who holds the universe in His hands. When we utilize the opportunity for quietness to enter into our lives, God’s voice becomes clearer, guiding and comforting in ways that the loudest distractions cannot.