This is one of my all-time favorite verses. I’m working on a goal right now to find my top five “life verses,” and this is one of them. And it’s funny because when I was in high school, I went to a Christian retreat, and this was the key verse for the week, and all I could think was, How boring! What a boring verse to use to inspire, challenge, and “activate” the teens for Christ. Be still? Blah!
But now, this verse has become so dear to me, so I guess I’ve come full circle. To me, this verse is all about humility. A humbled person is one who’s learned to trust in God’s goodness, love, and faithfulness so much that despite the storms that rage around them, they can “be still” because He is God. A humbled person desperately desires to be near the Lord, to bask in His presence, and so they’ve learned the importance of being physically and mentally still with the Lord at times. And a humbled person also knows that everything is about God’s glory and that no matter what happens, at the end of it all, He will be exalted!
Oh, I love this verse!!!
But it took me a long time to learn to be still. Deep down, I didn’t feel like I could trust others, not even God, and you can’t be still if you don’t truly trust. I couldn’t “be still” because I was too busy trying to keep all the balls up in the air, to carry the weight of the world on my shoulders, to please others. And so I never knew the joy and peace of trusting Him, resting in His arms, being still. (I still don’t do it perfectly. In fact, I rarely do. I’m still learning.)
One of the most important (and least developed) characteristics of a healthy relationship with God is being still before Him, in humble trust and dependency. We aren’t good at being still, slowing down, simplifying, at trusting anyone else to look out for us. We’d much rather run around in worry and busyness, trying to control things, to make life what we want it to be, to get our “needs” met, to make our mark on the world, to give us meaning and value, to measure up, to fix the holes in our hearts and the ache in our souls. Always trying, rarely succeeding.
“Be still” is a small sentence with big meanings. Let’s consider four of them:
1. Being physically still and spending time with God. Unfortunately, most of us won’t slow down enough to be still enough to do anything restful. We are an over-achieving, constantly-moving group of people, always trying to find shortcuts to make things go even faster. (When will we get tired of the rat race, of all our strivings, and just pause to enjoy the simple things? When will we stop trying and trying to make ourselves happier, and just be joyful now, knowing that God is here with us, blessing us today? If we live like happiness is always just beyond our grasp, always right around the corner, we’ll never be happy. Contentment starts right now, or else it never starts at all!) And even when we’re not in motion, we’re busy filling our time and minds with anything else but God. TV, friends, hobbies, Facebook, parties, shopping, work, etc. Anything but the eternal things that will far outlast the things of this world.
But God shows us in His Word the importance of getting away from distractions to spend time with Him. Matthew 14:23: “After [Jesus] had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray.” If Jesus needed to do this, what makes us think we don’t need to? Even just taking a walk in God’s creation, enjoying His gifts, thanking Him for beauty, can be soul-filling and faith-inspiring. And any time we spend in the Word and prayer is priceless!
If we don’t choose to slow down sometimes, God may have to force us to slow us down. And we probably won’t like His method of doing it (but it will be for our own good).
2. Being mentally still so that you can set your mind on God and be receptive to Him. This can happen even while you’re busy doing other things. I have found some of the most productive spiritual times are when I’m busy doing dishes. Usually, I’ll be daydreaming or mulling over a concern when it dawns on me to pray, to focus on God. And as soon as I switch my thoughts to Him and begin meditating on His Word, talking to Him, or actively listening to the Spirit, all sorts of godly insights come to mind. But I wouldn’t have heard them if I didn’t quiet my mind and listen. Psalm 4:4: “... search your hearts and be silent.”
This is something many of us may avoid doing, precisely because we don’t want to hear what He’s gonna tell us. But once again, if He’s got a message to give us and we won’t take the time to listen, He might force us to slow down, until we get to the point where we’re willing to listen to Him and do what He says. He’s much more patient than we are and can easily wait for us to exhaust ourselves, to run ourselves ragged, to the point where all we can do is fall down in exhaustion and say, “Fine, Lord! Have it Your way. What do You want to tell me? What do You want me to do? I’m ready to listen.” But the longer we run from Him, the more of a mess we’ll make of our lives. He can help clean up those messes, of course, but it’s far better to learn to listen and obey early on, instead of running from Him, hurting ourselves, and creating consequence we didn’t need to. But … better late than never! Come to Him whenever you’re ready, even if it feels “too late.” If He’s big enough to create the universe, He’s big enough to fix whatever messes you’ve made. In fact, He specializes in turning messes into masterpieces.
3. Being still also means having a deep sense of trust in Him so that we can rest in Him, being concerned only with His presence and our obedience, letting Him be concerned with the obstacles, problems, timing, and results. Exodus 14:13-14: “Moses answered the people, ‘Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.’” (But we can’t really be still with God if we don’t trust Him or His love for us. And we can’t really trust Him if we don’t really know Him, as He truly is. This is why I believe it’s so critical for us to sort out our misconceptions about God, which we’ll look at in another section.)
4. Being still also implies waiting for Him to move, to answer our prayers, in His time and in His way. If we’ve done all we know He has called us to do, and if we’ve prayed and given our concerns to Him, then our job now is just to “be still.” Psalm 37:7: “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him ...” Do only what He’s told you to do, through the Word and through prayer, and then wait for His answer. Our job is to pray; His job is to answer.
Admittedly, this isn’t easy to do because most of us have trouble trusting others, and long waits will dredge up every last fear and doubt we have. We, in America, expect fast, quick results for our efforts, but God often moves much slower than we expect. But if we can’t make Him go faster (we can’t), then we need to learn to go slower, to wait for His timing.
I believe prayer does move mountains, but sometimes they move very slowly. So slowly that we can’t even tell they’re moving, and we’re tempted to give up. But hang in there and trust that God is at work. If you’ve done your part as He’s called you to (praying and obeying), trust that He will do His. And until then, cling to Him and praise His name. Help others who need it. Make the most of the wait. Use it for eternal good, even if (especially if) there’s nothing you can do to change things on earth right now. I learned this lesson by doing it wrong so many times, too afraid to trust God, causing myself enormous heartache and anxiety. Oh, me of little faith!
(Oh, and sometimes prayer does moves mountains, just not the ones we expected. Trust Him when He decides to move a different mountain than the one you wanted.)
Being still - physically, mentally, in trust, and in waiting - is important for the health of our spiritual and physical lives. We need to have times when we get away from distractions, when we quiet the ruckus in our heads and bring our thoughts back to God and His presence. We have to be still long enough to be receptive to Him, to hear Him, to let Him lead.
If we can’t be still in trust and in waiting, we’ll be tempted to panic, to take matters into our own hands, and this will create consequences that never would’ve happened if we had just waited on God. [Just ask Abraham. God promised him a son but then made him wait 25 years for him. And in his frustration with the wait, and to “help God out,” Abraham slept with the maid to produce a son. But that wasn’t God’s plan. The maid’s child was not the promised son. God had a plan and a timing in mind, and He didn’t need Abraham’s help in fulfilling His promise. But Abraham couldn’t wait. He tried to hurry God along, to rush ahead of Him and make things happen in his own power. And it created consequences that didn’t have to happen, that shouldn’t have happened, and that have lasted down through the centuries. We can’t force God to go faster than He chooses to, no matter how much we wish we could. It might be hard, but it’s far better to wait on Him, as long as it takes, that to run ahead of Him on our own.]
Now, of course, we can’t force ourselves to trust until we get to the source of why we don’t trust, so we’ll look at that soon. But we can force ourselves to obey! And if we have a hard time being obedient, we should at least talk to God about it and always be transparent with Him. He will bless our honesty and our obedience, even if we don’t feel like doing it.
Being still is the only way we can hear His whisper. He doesn’t often shout His messages, but He does whisper. Cultivating stillness is important in learning to hear His challenges, convictions, insights, and calls - through prayer and the Word.
If we rush our prayers, we usually end up just complaining to Him or freaking out to Him about what we’re afraid of or telling Him what we want Him to do for us, and we fail to dwell on His good character and His promises, to appreciate the blessings and answers He’s already given, to listen for His answers to our prayers, to feel His comfort for our fears, and to hear what He wants us to do for Him (which, sadly enough, is probably quite acceptable to many of us.)
If we rush our Bible time, we won’t absorb it or let it fill our hearts with what God wants to tell us through it today. It’ll just be a chore to check off our lists. Bible Reading ... Check!
And if we rush through our days, we’ll miss out on so many of His simple blessings and wonders, those things which draw our hearts and minds to Him and make our hearts swell with praise. And we might miss the “open doors” He gives us, the nudges or interruptions He uses to change our direction, the guidance and instructions He gives us that we weren’t expecting, and maybe even the answers to some of our prayers. (Even if our bodies are still, our minds might be busy, consumed with anything but Him. Mental and physical stillness are both important.)
We’re not good at being still, especially when “time is money.” But I think God highly values the ability to be still because that’s when we tune into Him. Like radio waves that are around us all the time, we don’t hear them unless we tune in. And too much busyness in our days, our minds, is like interference that prevents us from clearly hearing God’s messages and sensing His presence. And this can make us feel alone, like everything is all up to us, like He’s abandoned us and doesn’t care, leading to fear, confusion, discouragement, and exhaustion (just like Satan wants). But it isn’t God who’s drifted away. It’s us. It’s me. It’s you.
God won’t settle for being second place in our hearts. If we want to live as our own gods, He’ll let us. And He’ll let us face the consequences of it … until we realize how much we really do want Him and need Him. Until we realize that He is God and we are not. And we’re okay with it.
Matthew 13:15: “For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn [to Me], and I would heal them.”
Zechariah 7:11-13: “But they have refused to pay attention; stubbornly they turned their backs and stopped up their ears. They made their hearts as hard as flint and would not listen to the law or to the words that the Lord Almighty had sent by his Spirit through the earlier prophets. So the Lord Almighty was very angry. ‘When I called, they did not listen; so when they called, I would not listen,’ says the Lord Almighty.”
2 Timothy 4:3-5: “For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations …”
There will always be a price to pay for ignoring the Lord, for living as our own gods. Being “too busy” for God could lead to shattered faith, a depressed spirit, hopelessness, maybe even crumbling health. Let’s learn to “tune in” to the Lord now, to draw near to Him, to need Him, to trust Him, to rest in Him … before it’s too late, before He gives us the space we want, letting us go our own way, destroying ourselves in the process, as we insist on doing.
[And if you’ve already “destroyed” yourself, your life, it’s not too late. With God, there is no “too late.” Come to the Lord for healing, for a miracle. When you hit rock bottom, He’s the only one who can pick you up again and set you on the right path!
“In my anguish I cried to the Lord, and he answered by setting me free. The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” (Psalm 118:5-6)
“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.” (2 Chronicles 7:14-15)
“Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)
“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.” (James 1:5, emphasis added - “without finding fault.” God doesn’t say “Sorry, but I’m not gonna help you because you’ve screwed up too much.” He doesn’t say “I told you so!” He doesn’t rub our noses in our sins and mistakes. He just helps fix them and turn them around for good. Not because we “deserve it,” but because that’s the kind of loving, faithful, forgiving God He is. He knows we’re human and that we’re gonna mess up, but He loves us so much and wants us with Him so much that He’s willing to draw near to us no matter what terrible condition we’re in. Jesus left the glories of heaven to put on weak, mortal flesh to come down to our dirty, filthy, sin-filled world so that He could make a way for us to spend eternity with Him. Because He wanted to. Because He loves us. That’s some amazing love! And it’s much stronger than any of our messes, mistakes, or sins. The bad stuff doesn’t scare Him. He can handle it. In fact, He came to defeat and to redeem all the bad stuff. To make it all better and turn it into eternal good. Will you let Him do that in your life?)
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him…” Romans 8:28]
Challenges:
Being still is a skill that needs to be practiced because it feels so unnatural and counter-productive to us. So here are some challenges to help you get started:
1. If you don’t have a regular quiet time with the Lord, journal a description of your life right now - your Christian walk, your relationship with the Lord as it is right now, how you feel about Him and yourself. Then set aside a specific, regular quiet time for you and the Lord, to pray and read your Bible and listen. Make it a priority, do it for at least forty days, and then see how your life changes. Journal how it changed or affected your spiritual and physical life.
2. Utilize “wasted moments.” Look for opportunities when you can quiet your mind and set it on God, even when you’re physically busy, like when you’re cleaning, driving, waiting in line, etc. During this time, tell God you’re listening, ask if there’s anything He wants to tell you. Or bring a concern to Him and ask His help. Or ask Him to search your heart for things you need to deal with. Pray for His help in hearing Him and in knowing what to do about it, and then see where the Holy Spirit takes your thoughts. But stop any thoughts that are obviously not from God (vengeance, bitterness, critical spirit, selfishness, negative self-thoughts, pride, etc.). Confess them, and ask God to help you hear Him instead. Satan will try to get in your way of hearing God and of obeying. Be prepared, and fight him with prayer and Scripture.
3. Make these regular parts of your day:
Psalm 4:4: “... when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent.”
Psalm 5:3: “In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my request before you and wait in expectation.”
Psalm 139:23-24: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
And I think it’s helpful to write down anything God reveals to us, along with our prayers, praises, confessions, things we’re thankful for or anxious about, etc. Everything. And bring it all to God in prayer. Writing it down makes it much harder to ignore it or forget it. (And journaling our concerns, in prayer to God, gets them out of our heads and onto paper. If we don’t do this, our anxieties might roam around in our heads, eating away at our peace and joy.)
4. Find other ways you can incorporate more time to rest in His presence or to enjoy His creation and blessings. Gardening, taking walks, putting aside a daily quiet time, turning off your phone for a little while each day, spending quality time with godly people, singing worship songs, writing out Bible verses, painting, drawing, watching the sun rise, etc. His blessings and presence are all around us all the time. Take time to notice, to enjoy it, to share it with others.
5. Next time you find yourself waiting on Him “too long” and you’re about to drown in despair, find a Bible verse (pray for one) to be your “life ring” verse, the verse you grab onto to keep you from going under all the way, to help you plant your faith in Him while you wait for Him to move in your life. Here are a few examples (memorize your “life ring” verse):
1 Peter 5:7: “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”
Psalm 18:2: “The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”
Isaiah 41:10: “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Psalm 25:4-5: “Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.”
Psalm 62:5: “Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him.”
2 Cor. 12:9: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
Questions for Reflection (ask God’s opinion about all these too):
1. Did anything in this section stand out to me? Why? What is God telling me about it?
2. Do I have a regular quiet time with God? What do I do during that time? How does it affect me? (Or if I don’t have regular quiet time, why not? How does it affect me? How do I typically feel and think during my days, and how might spending more time with God change that?)
3. What typically consumes my thoughts (where does my mind go when it wanders): ways people wrong me, ideas for revenge, pity parties, silly daydreams, excuses for my sins, ways to cover up my sins, lustful thoughts, things I want to do or buy or achieve, what people think of me, shame or guilt, my past, my fears, etc.? (Feelings follow thoughts. Ask God to help you stop the negative, ungodly thoughts and to replace them with ones that are from Him, filled with His truth and hope. Maybe wear something as a reminder to “set your mind on things above” and to listen to Him instead of to yourself. But don’t ignore these negative thoughts or hide them in shame; it will only give them deeper roots. Confess them, and accept that God forgives them and will continue to abide with you if you abide with Him, in truth and humility.)
4. In a general sense, what has my relationship with Him been like over time? How is it now? What do I like about it? What do I wish was different? Is there anything I can do about that? And what is God’s opinion about all this? (Ask Him and listen.)
5. Can I “be still” in all the ways: physically, mentally, in trust, and in waiting? If not, why not? Why am I driven to busyness, in life or in mind? What am I avoiding or running from? God? My past? My fears? My sins? (Ask Him to help you get honest with Him and with yourself.)
6. What does “be still and know that He is God” mean to me? How does God want me to apply it to my life, specifically?
7. Am I afraid of “being still and knowing that He is God”? If so, why? What do I think He might say to me, tell me to do, or convict me about? (Ask Him what He wants to say, and listen for the answer over time. And find verses to encourage you in this.)
8. What do I usually do when trials happen, when decisions need to be made, or when I want something or want to do something? Do I seek God’s opinion and help? Do I want my Will or His Will? Do I run ahead of Him to make my plans happen? What’s the result? How does it affect my life, spiritually and physically? (Do I even want God’s opinions and help? Will I still trust Him if He says “no” to my requests? What does this say about who’s on the throne in my life?)
9. Psalm 37:7 says, “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him...” Do I trust that God will lead me in His way and in His time? What in my life shows that I do and what shows that I don’t? What gets in my way of being able to trust God, to “be still” and wait on Him during trials or for an answer to prayer? (Ask God to reveal these to you and then confess them.)
10. Is there something that needs to happen first, something I need to face in my heart or my past, for me to be able to draw near to Him, to “be still” with Him? To learn to wait on Him? To trust Him more? (Pray and ask God about this. Listen to what He says. Ask Him what He want you to do about it.)
11. How can I change my life or schedule to incorporate more “stillness”? Are there other ways I can “be still”? Am I willing to do this? If not, why not? If so, what, specifically, will I do differently from now on?
12. “If we live like happiness is always just beyond our grasp, always right around the corner, we’ll never be happy. Contentment starts right now, or else it never starts at all!” What does this mean, and what does it mean to me and for my life?
13. Do I sense that God is challenging me about anything related to this topic? Is there anything He wants me to do (or not do) to improve my spiritual and physical life? (You can’t change the past, but you can let God turn your future into something good, if you will listen and obey, whether He’s telling you to do something specific right now or to just wait on Him in faith.)
Prayer:
Ask God for His help in learning to be still and in revealing whatever might be blocking you from doing that. Admit to Him any fears, doubts, or past wounds that prevent you from being able to trust, be still, and wait. Journal them. List them one by one, ask Him what started them and how you keep them going and how they affect you, and then pray them over to Him, asking His help in overcoming them, in turning them into something good, healthy, and productive, at least in a spiritual, eternal sense, if not a temporary, earthly sense. And journal any other insights or instructions He gives you. Seek support from your partner if you need it.
Example Prayer:
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for sacrificing Your Son, Jesus, for me, so that I could have a relationship with You and a full life. Thank You for Your incredible patience and faithfulness as I learn to walk with You in faith. And even though I stumble and fall, thank You that You are not scared off by that, by my sins and mistakes. Thank You for Your grace, love, and forgiveness.
Forgive me, Lord, for not taking time to really meet with You in prayer, in Your Word, and in contemplation. Forgive me for not slowing down enough to listen to You and to enjoy You, to appreciate Your creation, notice the small blessings, and be thankful for them. Forgive me for expecting everything to go my way, to work out the way I want it to, when I want it to. Forgive me for not being as patient with You as You are with me, for not trusting You enough to wait for Your way and Your timing in my life, for thinking that You’ll let me down if I lean on You.
So many fears, concerns, and other things fill my time and my mind. But I want to be able to “set my mind on things above” and to “be still” in You, trusting that You are God and that You can handle all my concerns. Help me to do that, Lord, so that I may know the peace and security of a life lived in reliance on You and the joy of a life lived in communion with You. I want to see You exalted in my life, however You choose to do that.
In Jesus’ name, Amen
“Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things.” (Colossians 3:2)
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.” (Philippians 4:8)
“You will keep in perfect peace he whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” (Isaiah 26:3)
Bible Study:
Compile verses about being still, waiting on God, and trusting Him, such as the ones below and those above. Which verses convict you? Encourage you? (Memorize some of them.) What is God telling you through them? How can you apply them to your life?
Psalm 37:1-7: “Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. Trust in the Lord and do good, dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord … Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him …”
Isaiah 30:18: “Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!”
Jeremiah 29:11-13: “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.’”
Psalm 9:10: “Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.”
Habakkuk 2:20: “But the Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him.”
Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” (If you want God to straighten your path, you need to trust Him and acknowledge Him. In your own life, what is it that He wants you to do – what is your part – before He can do His part to straighten your path?)
Notice all the instances of rest and peace, of being still and trusting God in Psalm 23 (memorize the whole thing, you’ll be glad you did): “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
Matthew 6:27: “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?”
Don’t learn things just to learn them; put them into action. If God tells you to do something, He expects you to obey. What’s He telling you to do? Will you do it, whatever the cost? It’s okay if you have fears or doubts, just tell Him about it. But if you want His care, guidance, blessings, and protection - the life He wants for you - you need to obey Him, whether you want to or not. Ask Him: “What do You want me to do?” And then do it, trusting that He’ll straighten your path as you obey and walk in faith.
