"Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!" (Psalm 46:10 ESV)Many of us have loved and clung to this verse for years. We have been encouraged through this verse to trust God for the outcome of our life struggles with sin and evil. These are important principles to apply from this verse. But there is something more here for us to see; a principle that can help us get victory over our stressed out lives.
You see, the context of this verse describes a world in chaos as the wicked seek to destroy the righteous and rebel against God. The statement of verse ten is an admonition to let God take care of things and not try to take responsibility for the things God must deal with. It is a call to let go of control and trying to make things happen on your own. It is a command to surrender to the sovereignty of God and His way of dealing with things as He works that plan out in time. And these principles can help us if we apply them to our daily activites.
We scurry about, trying to make things happen, sometimes quite frankly, we are really trying to force things to happen. We want it done now. We want the problem solved now. And so, we work and strive to win the battle and all the while God says, “Slow down, stop trying to make it happen yourself, let me do it my way in my time. You’re just spinning your wheels trying to make something happen that only I can make happen.”
Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God. 7And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7 NET)Much of our frantic activity is rooted in a lack of submission and faith. We fail to submit our wills, life circumstances, and plans to God and so we frantically run about trying to accomplish our plans, relying on our wisdom and strength. What we need to do is take all the little worries and anxieties of the day and give them to God. Let Him sort through all the things we think we need to do and show us what He wants us to do and then trust Him to guide us through the day to accomplish what He wants. This is the wisdom of Proverbs 3:5-6.
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding. Acknowledge him in all your ways, and he will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6 NET)There it is. Don’t trust in or rely on your own understanding of what you need to do. Instead, in ALL your ways acknowledge – or, more literally, “know” God. We seek god for major life decisions, but we think we know what we need to do each day. We establish our goals and make our plans and get to work. And we give little thought of what God wants us to do in our daily activities. Yet, as William MacDonald explains, “Every area of our lives must be turned over to His control. We must have no will of our own, only a single pure desire to know His will and to do it.”
In The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Sid S. Buzzell points out, “This means more than guidance; it means God removes the obstacles, making a smooth path or way of life, or perhaps better, bringing one to the appointed goal.”
So here’s the remedy for a stressed out life or simply a stressed out day. First, submit your will to the will of God for your life and your day. Second, earnestly seek to know His will and follow His lead step by step through your day. Third, trust Him to accomplish what He wants done in this day.
Perhaps we are stressed out over time because we are trying to fill our lives with all kinds of activities that we want to do or we think we need to do that God hasn’t led us to do. Maybe, we just need to follow these three simple principles and realize, we have all the time we need to do all that God wants us to do. Be still and let God be God of your agenda.
Next: (59) God's Timing is Everything!
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