Relinquish the need for control

 

Psalm 46:10 KJV - Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

Be still. What picture comes to mind when you read those two words? Be still.

When God said those two words, he meant something surprising. And maybe you haven’t looked at it quite this way before. Let me try and explain.

If you are like me and the anxiety is loud, your mind won’t switch off and unwanted thoughts are swirling around inside your head today, while the phrase ‘calm down’ feels downright impossible, then listen closely. This phrase spoke to me today and I pray that it will be an encouragement to you as well.

In this verse in Psalm 46, God says, “Be still”.

The Hebrew word for ‘still’ is the word raphah. It doesn’t mean to sit quietly with your emotions. It doesn’t mean to sit in silence.

It means LET GO.

Release your grip. Let it fall. Stop striving. Stop trying to control what you were never meant to carry.

Sometimes we try and carry things our Heavenly Father never meant for us to carry.

Realising what this little word ‘still’ means reframes the whole verse. It carries the idea of putting a stop to the fretting, the impatience, the restlessness and resigning yourself to the will of God. Letting go.

It’s not a quietening of the noise but a quietening of the heart.

This stillness is a choice. It is making the choice to quieten the voices in our heads, flick the switch on our anxiety and sit in God’s presence reflecting on the fact that he is God and he is good.

We are told not only to be still but also to know. We are to acknowledge that he is God, unchangeable, omnipotent, omniscient, all-wise, faithful, merciful, kind. We are to remember where our help comes from. We are to know God.

God is not asking us to pretend that the storm raging inside of us is not real. He is inviting us to loosen our grip in the midst of it. Let go. A surrendered control.

Peace comes when our trust replaces our control and we place our burdens in his hands.

“Peace flows strongest through open hands, not clenched fists”

I think sometimes I’m guilty of being a control freak. I often have this obsessive need to take command of a situation, because I fear that if I don’t, it will all fall apart. Sadly, this controlling spirit only leads to frustration, anxiety, fear and overwhelm. If I would only remember that God has not called me to take action in every situation. Not only will he use other people to accomplish his purposes, he also knows that if I would just get out of his way, he could work unhindered and use me in a different capacity in a place where I belong.

There is another place in the Word of God where we see this little phrase ‘be still’. It is worth mentioning because it brings out another aspect you may not have thought about.

Mark 4:39 KJV - And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

The difference in meaning in this verse is that in the Greek, these words mean to be silent or to be dumb. So, in essence, to hush or to shut up!

The Lord told the wind and the waves to shut up! And I think sometimes, that’s what we need to do. Just shut up! Be still and listen.

I know that when I am overwhelmed because I am carrying what is not mine to carry, I find it hard to listen. It’s hard to tune out the noise in my head and let the Lord whisper into my heart.

Can I remind you that God speaks in the stillness, the devil screams in our busyness.

When we loosen our grip on the things we are trying to control, when we relax, abandon, let go, we begin to experience the peace that comes from open hands. Hands of surrender. Hands of submission to his will.

It is then that we can hear God’s voice. In the stillness.

Quiet your mind and your heart, fill them with God’s truth, speak his promises and words of comfort over your soul.

Lay your burdens down. Practice God-confidence over self-confidence.

Be still. Let go.