be still

Have you ever had one of those crazy days where it just seems like life goes haywire? Have you ever had one of those days where you just didn’t know if you could handle all the stress, all the uncertainty, or all the pain? Have you ever had one of those days where no matter how hard you struggled you just seemed to sink deeper into the quagmire? Maybe that day turned into weeks, the weeks turned into months, and the months turned into years and you’re still fighting.

We try so hard to fix ourselves and to manage our circumstances. It's the American way. That's why we love John Wayne, Rambo, and Wyatt Earp so much. (I'm pretty sure I've never used those names in the same sentence before.) We live with a suicidal love affair with self reliance. We subsist in the illusion of control, when we really have no control over anything that really matters. You've probably witnessed the illusion of control evaporate in a person's life after a single conversation with a doctor who says the dreaded "c" word - cancer. Or maybe the illusion of control was shattered by a financial disaster. Or maybe it was destroyed by the death of a loved one. However it happened, if you have lived on the face of this earth for very long, it has happened. And yet, we continue in our insistence that we are self-sufficient. We say things like:

• "I don't need anybody else."
• "I can handle it." 
• "I just need to try harder."
• "I'll just pick myself up by the bootstraps and move on."

If that paints a picture of where you find yourself today, I think the Lord has something to say to you. Stop. Stop trying to fix things in your own strength and wisdom. Stop worrying about things that are out of your control. Stop struggling so hard to find freedom. Stop tying yourself up in knots wondering if He could possibly still love you after you've let Him down for the umpteenth time. Stop living in fear of the unknown, or of failure, or of being alone, or of being unloved and unwanted. Stop trying to earn His affections. Stop working so hard to change your heart...you can't.

Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God.” Slow down. Quiet your heart. Know that He is God. Believe that He is more than powerful enough to take care of you and those whom you love. When the disciples were afraid for their lives in the midst of a storm, Jesus simply said, "Be still," and the wind and the waves obeyed Him. He calmed the tempest in an instant and at any moment He can silence the storm in your life. If He hasn't silenced the storm, then maybe He's trying to teach you something through it. Maybe He's trying to develop something eternal through temporary circumstances. Maybe He's been trying to talk to you, but you've been so busy "fighting the good fight" that you haven't heard a thing He's been saying. Slow down enough to hear the voice of your Creator and trust Him. He knows where you are, He knows what He’s doing, He loves you, and He is God. That, my friend, is a powerful combination.