On Stillness in the Storm


When all hell breaks loose, my first thought usually has nothing to do with stillness. Instead, every fiber in my body tingles on high alert, and over and over my brain plays a recording: “What should I do?” I feel compelled to take action, to make some sort of effort. Do something.

Clearly there are circumstances that demand a response, and at those times God provides wisdom and shows us specifically what to do. But when a sudden storm unleashes, it’s easy to rush into response mode, to assume we must do something before we actually know God’s will in that particular situation.

Yet hastiness can lead to trouble.

Desire without knowledge is not good, and to be overhasty is to sin and miss the mark. (Psalm 19:2) (AMPC)

This is where being led by God’s Spirit and knowing His His voice is essential. I’m so grateful that when a hard circumstance hits and I feel compelled to do something, God’s Spirit is greater, and He is able to speak to my heart and redirect me. One of the first things He does is quiet my heart so I can actually hear Him. I mean, all hell breaking loose is loud on the inside of us. But He takes us to a far better place.

He makes me lie down in [fresh, tender] green pastures (Psalm 23:2)

The truth is I tend to camp in the chaos, try to figure everything out, and basically run around in circles and panic. (Anyone else? Anyone?) But in His loving-kindness the Lord grabs hold of my hand and my heart and leads me exactly where I need to go.

He leads me beside still waters (Psalm 23:2)

Once He leads my heart away from the chaos I am actually able to hear Him. And His words are a beautiful invitation.

Be still, and know that I am God. (Psalm 46:10) (ESV)

Being still is a choice. It’s not easy, but through the power of His Spirit we can surrender—and that’s when He stills our hearts and minds (thank God!) Being still prevents us from interfering where God is already at work. When we choose to be still we place God above our situations and place ourselves in a position of humility. We declare that we trust Him.

Though being still is often the exact opposite of what it feels like we should be doing, it is a place of divine rest.  It’s a place where we don’t carry our burdens because He does. We don’t have to battle because He does. We don’t have to figure things out because He’s got it covered.

God is sovereign, He is holy, and He has good plans for us. He is faithful and utterly trustworthy and He will ultimately accomplish His will and plans and purposes in our lives. 

Whatever we face, my prayer is each one of us will accept God’s beautiful invitation to be still. Allow our hearts to rest. And trust that He is already at work, doing what only He can do. 

PRAYER FOR YOU

Lord, You see the situation I am facing. Right now I choose to be still and know You are God. I relinquish every piece of it into Your loving hands. I trust that You are faithful and You are at work doing what only You can do. Thank you for your loving-kindness. Thank you for leading me beside still waters. Thank you for calming my heart and enabling me to be still. In the strong name of Jesus, Amen. 

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4 comments:

Pinkscissors said...

Julie, what a wonderful devotion. Thank you. I, too, approach chaos the same way. I want to fix everything and make it calm again. What a good reminder that God is truly in charge and has it all under His control.

Ginny said...

That was so on the mark for me! Have to continually remind myself to "be still......"

Kate said...

Thank you for the reminder to be still. I need this often and since my mom died I don't have the same base of encouragement. My camp is gone. This blog is why I kept scrolling and reading everything this morning. Bless.

Unknown said...

Thank you for this! Beautiful words!

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