Still

Still

The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.

AN OFFHAND COMMENT from the night before was bothering me. As I lathered shampoo into my hair and dried it afterward, my stomach felt tied in knots. I thought of all the zippy rebuttals I could have said, argued with TV defense lawyer-level verve. Each time I replayed the encounter in my mind, I walked away feeling confident in my response.

I have pretty epic arguments that—thankfully for all involved—remain within the confines of my own head. I never think of those zingers in the moment, and that’s probably a good thing. Because by the time I moved on to applying my makeup, I felt convicted to give my friend the benefit of the doubt. And instead of trying to sort the problem out immediately, I prayed. As I did, I felt a tug on my heart to simply wait and be still.

To my surprise, my friend messaged me a couple of days later. “I’m sorry I’ve been so scattered lately,” she said. “I have felt so overwhelmed by life. I was thinking again about our conversation the other night, and I realized afterward you may have taken what I said the wrong way. I’m sorry.” As I read her message, I couldn’t help but smile a little, glad I’d listened to God’s nudge to be still and wait.

There’s an assumption that stillness is simply inaction. But what if it isn’t?

As the Egyptians pursued the Israelites into the desert after their flight from slavery, the Israelites began to think their destruction was inevitable (see Exodus 14). Even though God had faithfully helped them escape Egypt, they still didn’t trust him. Freedom still felt like it was out of reach. Despondent, they asked Moses if he had brought them to the desert to die. He admonished them for their lack of trust in God and told them that the fight wasn’t theirs, but God’s. They needed only to be still.

When we pursue God’s call on our life—as God had called the Israelites out of slavery into a new land—he is faithful. We don’t need to fight for our own way. Our surrender to him isn’t a sign of giving up; it’s a sign of trust that he will do what he promised.

Lord, help us to recognize the areas of our lives where we need to trust you and be still. Amen.

-Kristin

One Good Step: What areas of your life are a struggle? What might happen if you chose to trust God fully and be still?