Be Still....

"Be still and know that I am God."

Psalm 46:10

This is the verse that started me on this journey over two years ago. It reminds me that no matter what craziness there is in the world, God is in control. I have held tightly to this verse with both hands and all my heart for over two years, because I knew that no matter what, if I could just hold on tight everything would be okay.

Remember those words...

 "hold on tight"

Tonight I was reading an article on this very verse and I learned something new.The word translated "be still" comes from the Hebrew term raphah which means "that which is slack, to drop, to be weak". The thought was that God is commanding us to "be weak, drop all your worries...I got this!" (I'm paraphrasing again). 

Kind of the opposite of "hold on tight"; and yet, it's not really. Because I still believe we need to hold onto Jesus; hold on to the promises of God; hold on to our faith that He has everything in control. But I think the problem we sometimes face is that while we are holding on so tight to what we believe is our faith, we are in actuality still holding on tight to the situations we are desperately trying to give to God.

My family is facing some real challenges this holiday season. And while I know God is telling me to "be still" in the sense that I need to not fret and worry, I think He may also be telling me to "go slack, let it drop...be weak". Because if I hold on too tightly, I live in tension and anxiety. But if I drop it into His Hands and become weak...then I am strong (2 Corinthians 12:10).

God is in control and I am not. The writer of this article said, "...we need to drop our hands, go limp, relax and chill out". Still taking responsibility for those things we need to do, but allowing God to do those things He will do. A friend sent me a message today that said,

"Faith is not believing God can; 

Faith is believing that God will.

What burdens are you carrying today? What worries are keeping you awake at night? What are you trying to do in your own strength that you just aren't able to accomplish?

Be still.....and know that He is God.