“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble . . . . Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:1,10, NKJV)
Sometimes I can get so agitated about something that all I can hear is the noise of my worrying. What-ifs and what-am-I-going-to-dos rattle around inside me crowding out common sense, never mind any input the Holy Spirit wants to give me.
God says slow down. Stop. Be still. Quit flapping. Know first that I am here for you to run and a place where you can take refuge. Know also that I am strong, nothing is too hard for Me. Remember, I am abundantly available for you. Just listen. My voice is not a shout but a whisper.
It is true. He mouths His words, seldom shouts them. My anxiety and worrying easily muffle His reassurances. I have to stop all that, refocus on Him. Listen.
Over the past few weeks He is teaching me this, and building in me a stronger confidence. When I am still, bringing my biggest concerns before Him but focusing on Him not the concerns, He comes into that stillness with thoughts like, “I am in control. Do not fear.”
He does not say, “I will . . .” turning my attention to what I want Him to do, but “I am . . . .” making me think only of Him.
As I do, the rattling and agitation melt away. How can it not? God is here. Present, powerful, abundant, available. The fact that He simply is makes stillness powerful, silence a strength. Hiding in Him becomes an advance and not a retreat, and an observation post from which to see Him. With that, His answers to my prayers move into second place and God Himself is first in my heart.
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