Word of Encouragement: Be Still

Trials, heartaches and debilitating circumstances may be weighing you down. Perhaps you have endured more than you think you can handle. You may be voicing to God that you are at your limit. You may be wondering if others go through such distress and trauma. You may have even thought you have done something wrong to bring on such calamity in your life. If you have ever read the book of Job in the Bible you feel like you can understand his situation because you feel like Job. You feel like there is little or no direction for your life. You are just filled with heartache and grief. You have begun to wonder what the purpose is for so much pain and turmoil. Your grief runs deep and your trials seem endless. You are desperate for peace and rest. Your zest for life has fizzled out and you drag through the days.

Consider and reflect on this scripture: The thief comes only to steal, and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full. John 10:10, NIV.

What do you need to take back that the enemy has stolen from you, destroyed or killed? Has the enemy stolen your peace and joy? Destroyed your family? Or killed your passion? Are you living the abundant life that Christ came to give you? If not, maybe it is time to reclaim your life.

If you are at a place where you just cannot make sense of anything anymore; be still. Be still and listen and wait for God to show you and led you up out of the pit of despair. Being still means not trying to figure out everything or analyzing your problems. Being still means resting in God. To rest means to seize from work. You may be at “work” trying to solve your problems and trying to understand what went wrong and how to make things better. Rest your weary soul and mind. Take shelter upon the Most High God and seize (refrain) from trying to figure out outcomes and your life. Let go and let God. Embrace His comfort as you wait upon His deliverance.

Rest knowing that God will fulfill all His promises and will work all things out for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purposes (Romans 8:28). And if you’re feeling like Job, remember that God blessed Job’s later life more than his earlier life (Job 42:12-15). 

Word of Encouragement from the Counselor’s Corner: Be Still as God Fights Your Battles

When we are facing trials our instinct can be to try and figure out how to solve our problems. If you are a natural problem solver like I am it can be most difficult to be still because in our minds “do nothing” as problems surround us may seem impossible. A natural problem solver wants to solve their problem quickly. Problems have solutions, so problems that seem to have no solutions are terribly upsetting to the problem solver. Resting and waiting on God to intervene in our problems can be frustrating to someone who is a natural fixer. Many times we believe God is slow in acting, or perhaps we believe we have a better solution than God so we go ahead and forge ahead with our plan.

When we wait on God He promises to renew our strength (Isaiah 40:31).

Take time to separate from all that distracts you and be still before God. Don’t have your agenda or your plans on how you think God should intervene, but sit quietly before the Lord and listen for His still, small voice. Get to a place that is quiet-your sanctuary where there is quiet. Begin to rest your mind and hand over your cares and worries.

To be calm does not mean that the storm is not around you, it means the storm is no longer with you. You can have peace in your storm. The storms may rage all around you but you are free from the effects of them. Your storms no longer trouble you because you know who you have trusted in the midst of your storms.

When conflicts come and they will, we can remain untroubled by them, at that point we can say we have truly experienced abiding peace. Peace does not have to come only when all your circumstances are great, but peace can come right in the middle of your storm. When we approach trials in our lives in a calm manner we can step back and see the bigger picture and keep a much better perspective in the situation that at the time may seem like it will drown you. Not only can we keep a calm mind during stormy seasons in our lives, but when we remain serene and composed it can help calm the fears of those around us.

We just need to be still and let God fight the battles for us. Being still does not mean excessive analyzing your problem, worrying, or trying to find solutions to your problems. If you have a problem and you have prayed and no answers seem to be coming your way, stop trying to figure out how to get your problem solved. Could it be God is working on your problem and needs you to step aside?