"Be Still!"
My grandmother yelled this at me every single time I
spent the night at her house. My brother and I would get so excited about
staying at her house and all three of us piling into the pull-out sofa bed. The
night always seemed longer there and after the nightly news we would bundle up
under the covers and say our prayers aloud. "Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray
the Lord my soul to keep, If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul
to take. Bless Mommy, Bless Daddy..." It was some of the sweetest moments I can
remember about my childhood, followed immediately by aggravation and frustration
for my grandmother. "Emilee, be still! Quit fidgeting!" I was so excited and
amped up about being at my grandmother's that I simply could not contain myself.
My brother would follow shortly with complaints that I was bothering him too,
whether from kicking and flailing or just being restless.
I didn't know
how to be still.
Fast forward a few decades and I still struggle with it.
Not necessarily from excitement or anticipation, but more from anxiety and
distraction. There are so many times that I struggle with my thoughts, or
wrestle with the worry of what may happen.
It seems that just as one
conundrum in my life has the kink worked out something else gets tangled up.
I've learned time and time again that I have no control, that I can't fix
everything, and that no matter what the circumstance, it will always change.
Regardless, I find myself trying to find a way around it each time.
I
imagine that when God sees me do this yet again, He wants to yell "Be Still!
Quit fidgeting!" just as I've heard before. So often, I have ignored it, and
continued to distract or detach myself so that I could wait out the storm. But
that is not the answer. Taking it to God wholeheartedly and truly being still in
His Presence is the only way through the issue.
"Be Still" is not an easy
task in our world. We have so much opportunity to be distracted. Even without
Netflix, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, we can find ourselves calling
or texting a friend to vent or get their advice, or just putting our head in a
magazine to take our minds off of things. These aren't bad things, it's okay to
relax and distract to a certain extent, but there needs to be a running
conversation with God and plenty of undisturbed time with Him to ensure we are
filling ourselves with His Hope for our troubles.
We may not hear from
Him right away, and we may not see a "light at the end of the tunnel" in sight,
but trusting and knowing that our God will make a way and that He is our Hope is
the only thing that will get us through every trial that we face.
I for
one am tired of fidgeting and kicking, I want to focus all of my heart on Him
and the promises He has for me.
Maybe today you are going through a trial
of sorts too, maybe you have found yourself trying to stay busy doing something
or anything else than actually sitting down and praying to God about it. There
is no shame...any feeling of that sort is not from God.
Sit down today and lay
it at the foot of the cross, ask God to give you the strength you need to
persevere and believe that HE WILL equip you. Let go of your expectations, let
go of your frustrations and just truly BE STILL and know that HE IS ENOUGH.
Psalm 46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored
by every nation. I will be honored throughout the
world."
Hebrews 6:19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain,
Christ Is Enough by Hillsong
Christ is
my reward
And all of my devotion
Now there's nothing in this world
That
could ever satisfy
Through every trial
My soul will sing
No turning
back
I've been set free
Christ is enough for me
Christ is enough
for me
Everything I need is in You
Everything I need
Christ my all
in all
The joy of my salvation
And this hope will never fail
Heaven is
our home
Through every storm
My soul will sing
Jesus is here
To
God be the glory
I have decided to follow Jesus
No turning back
No
turning back
The cross before me
The world behind me
No turning
back
No turning back
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