EVERYTHING WE NEED: Be Still . . . and Wait

Do you often feel like you are on a treadmill — continually walking and getting nowhere? We know it is not healthy to be constantly on the go, trying to meet the demands of the day. We seem to get or take too few opportunities to just sit down, be still and enjoy the moment. We think we are so busy that we simply cannot afford just to stop and breathe. Why is it so difficult to take time for a walk along a nature trail, a stroll along the beach or just sit quietly under the starry sky? When a loved one passes away, however, we stop what we are doing without a second thought. We know nothing else is as important at that moment.

In Psalm 46, the psalmist was writing encouraging words to the Israelites who were battling against their enemies. He told them of God’s presence in their time of trouble. “The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress” (Psalm 46:7 NIV). Suddenly, David changes from his own words to God speaking — “Be still and know that I am God…” (Psalm 46:10 NIV1984). In admonishing His people to “be still,” He told them to stop fighting and arguing and put their weapons down. He wanted them to focus on Him as their refugeand strength.

In a separate way, God’s words apply to us. We get busy and overload our calendars with too much unnecessary stuff. We run ourselves ragged, stress ourselves out, ruin our health and destroy our contentment and joy in the Lord.

We become bothered when unbelievers seem to succeed in their endeavors. Their successes often cause us to grow envious and become discontent. David said, “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him…” (Psalm 37:7 NIV1984). He had already mentioned the destiny of evil men, saying, “for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants, they will soon die away” (Psalm 46:1-2 NIV).

God wants us to enjoy life. But that means more than just relaxing with a cup of coffee, dining out or reading a good book. He wants us to be still, to be quiet. He wants us to wait patiently for Him to act on our behalf — just stop, draw near to Him, and learn to lean on Him for everything. When life brings us down, and we cannot seem to find our way, God tells us to get away alone and share our hearts and inmost thoughts with Him. He asks us to “wait” on Him.Waiting is usually the hardest part of trusting God because we want help now. But God knows everything about us, has our best interests at heart, and knows the right time to give us what we need. His timing is always right!

We learn to “be still” by scheduling a regular time for Bible reading, praying, focusing on God and learning to trust Him. It is to our greatest advantage to blot out the world and experience God. David said, “I have stilled and quieted my soul” (Psalm 131:2 NIV1984).What a difference that would make if we would say that every day.

What happens when we surrender our lives to God? We experience peace of mind, tranquility of soul, freedom from worries, a life of contentment and a confident trust in the Lord. We will enjoy unimaginable benefits when we let go of our own will and replace it with God’s.

Solomon, the wise orator, said, “Better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind” (Eccl. 4:6 NIV1984). May we learn just to be still and wait on the Lord.