I love Psalm 46:10, “Be still and know that I am God. I will be exulted among the nations, I will be exulted in the earth!” I can’t tell you how many times the Lord has used this verse to minister to my soul. One of the reasons why this verse continues to speak to me is because my impulse is always to do the opposite. Instead of being “still” and letting God take care of things, I am inclined to do it my way. Being “still” means that I am placing my trust in someone else, which can be scary. I like control and progress, but I don’t like to wait and “be still.”

As much as we strive for control in life, we are forced to admit that we never have absolute control over our circumstances. Often, unexpected curveballs are thrown at us and our plans are frustrated. Unreached goals, unexpected illnesses, financial difficulties, marital problems and a whole host of other circumstances continually remind us that we are not in control. But when we finally come to realize that God is sovereign and in control, it is actually very freeing. Recently, I read something I think you’ll appreciate. “Good morning this is God. I will be handling all you problems today and I won’t need your help.” No doubt there is an element of truth to this little quote. As you already know, this is not as easy as it sounds. We are so thoroughly educated in the art of self-reliance that we tend to resist surrender.

Check out what David writes in another Psalm: “Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him” (Psalm 37:3-7).

Here we see that trust, surrender, and waiting are all vital components in this process. At the same time we are not totally passive. We are to “delight in the Lord.” We are to “commit our ways to the Lord.” We are to “be still before the Lord.” All these have a way of building faith into our lives. And when our trust is in our Heavenly Father, we can be confident that God will act and God will get the glory for how He works in our lives.

Let me ask you – is your trust in the Lord? Is your delight in the Lord Jesus? Have you committed your way to God? Is your life lived for purposes that further the Kingdom and magnify the glory of God? This will require some soul searching on your part, but if this is your desire, then be still before God. Wait patiently for him. Let go of your fear. And find your peace and acceptance in Christ. As Jesus said, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me” (John 14:1).