The solution to my fears.
If it were up to me, I would avoid anything uncomfortable: thoughts and actions.
When something unexpected occurred in my life, the panic of feeling out of control quickly transformed into immense fear.
When I was younger, my natural stress response alternated between fleeing and never returning or lashing out.
However, in recent years, I’ve noticed a change within myself. When I feel the urge to act quickly or impulsively make decisions based on my own strength, God has consistently stopped me in my tracks and told me to “be still.”
As a girl whose mind races most of the day, I had to relearn what stillness truly meant.
You see, I thought this concept implied sitting in silence.
Stop moving, stop thinking.
But now I know that “be still” means to stop fighting.
The Hebrew word for still is “raphah,” which means to let go or to cease. When God told the Israelites to “be still and know that He is God,” He wasn’t merely suggesting that they quiet their minds. Instead, He was commanding them to surrender complete control of the situation, urging them to stop relying on their own strength and to trust in Him. This call to trust is rooted in an intimate understanding of who God is—His nature as both Lord and Savior.
Being completely honest, submitting total control to God requires a great deal of faith. In a perfect world, many of us would love to claim we excel at this, but in reality, most of us struggle. Our flesh is in constant battle with our spirit. After spending decades developing habits based on our understanding of what protection looks like, it can be challenging to trade those habits for God’s guidance.
God’s way doesn’t always align with our desires. We often believe that peace means the absence of chaos, but God’s peace provides a sense of sovereignty even amidst turmoil. We tend to think that protection involves taking the safest route, but God’s protection serves as a shield from eternal harm, even in the face of difficulties. While we want to be right from our own perspective, God will guide us to recognize our wrongs from His perspective.
In my journey toward learning to be still, I asked God for help. I realized that my body often wants to resist this stillness, even though I know I shouldn’t. Without God’s assistance, I would likely fall back into old patterns, picking up my own sword again instead of putting it down in exchange for His.
But through God’s love, He has been answering my request by filling my heart with the truth of who He is.
God is my Refuge
Have you ever felt unsafe?
Maybe you were fearful of the elements around you. Maybe you were running away from a person. Maybe you were running away from an environment.
You’re weary. You’re tired. You’re trying to stay calm.
But then…. You see shelter. A shelter where you can go and cover yourself. A place where you can finally rest and breathe again.
That’s God.
He isn’t a normal physical dwelling place, since He lives within us and all around us. But He is the ultimate safeguard. He is the place we go where His wings are always large enough to perfectly shield and comfort us.
I had to learn that whenever I feel stressed, depressed, or afraid, I need to retreat to God first. He is the one whom I can talk to who will never abuse or mishandle my vulnerability. I need to cast my anxieties on Him because He cares (1 Peter 5:7). I need to seek Him to find rest. Let Him calm the very air that is in my chest. And allow Him to be my hope in danger, as He has already proved Himself to be.
God is my Strength
One thing I realized about doing things my way is that they always have repercussions in the end. The negative situation comes back around with greater consequences. What I thought was the solution ends up causing more harm than good. Sometimes, I feel as though I won in the moment, only to realize I still wasn’t fulfilled.
I used my power for what I deemed fit only to realize there are major limitations to it. My thoughts, my actions, my strength are limited to what has already happened. And can never take into account the magnitude of power needed for the future.
God has shown me that it’s actually during the times of weakness that I am strong. That when I feel so low that all I can do is call on His name, that’s when true strength begins. Power begins with prayer and ushering God to help. Sometimes you simply have to call Him, and there He is; waiting to fight for you.
The Lord of Hosts
The lord of Hosts, the Lord of Armies, the Lord Almighty.
The same God whom Hannah called on to petition for a son fulfilled her request by having her give birth to Prophet Samuel.
The same God who gave David the strength and precision to kill Goliath.
The same God who Elijah called on when He challenged the prophets of Baal to prove which God was real.
The same God whom Isaiah saw in the throne room. The one who was surrounded by seraphim and whose robe filled the temple.
The same God who hears the prayers of the oppressed in James 5.
The same God who will return again.
This is the God who tells us to “be still and stop fighting”.
This is the God who wants to fight for you if you would surrender and let Him.
“Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!”
The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
Psalm 46:10-11 ESV
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