“Be still, and know that I am God,” the book of Psalm tells us in Chapter 46 verse 10, but what does that look like? Society tells us that we need to be active at all times. We need to churn out 24 hours a day, 365 days a year of content in order to be successful. Society glorifies the #TeamNoSleep mentality or that in order for you to be relevant you need to always be seen. But what if some of your greatest victories and triumphs come from being still? Naturally we as human beings tend to base our entire day or week on our mood when we awake each morning, even though that should not be so. The need to be validated and accepted in all that we do is something that is embedded in us all. However, if this walk with God has taught me anything, it has shown me that in order for God to complete the good work He began in you, you must find a place of rest. You must not hold on to seeds of frustration, irritation or things that can keep God from performing His best for you. When our minds, emotions and spirits are all over the place, God is unable to perform through us the way we need Him to.

God is a God of order; He is not able to operate in chaos and confusion. Sometimes, either by our own doings or the circumstances that surround us, things can get out of balance. Our minds start to drift on our problems more than on the God who can deliver us out of them. Being still doesn’t mean you have to stop everything you are doing, but rather, make room for what God is doing. Before you start your day find time to commune with your Heavenly Father in order to seek what He desires for you throughout your day. This is a great way to recognize what His plans are for you and sometimes that means acting upon what He already told you to do. Being still should be the ability to quiet the mind & spirit; not just waiting for Him to respond to your daily request, but also listening for His instructions. You can’t hear God if you are always “busy” and always talking.

It took a long, long time for me to be still and allow God to show me the next step. I was always anxious for things to just take off right away like a rocket that I would be missing key pieces of the puzzle. I wanted to have my success right now, not realizing that my foundation was unstable. I’ve had moments where I thought that I would miss something if I were to be still. My brain performs so interestingly on a different level than I care to admit to most people. I’m always thinking a million and one thoughts and they are always in a creative way that sometimes it’s hard to just turn them off. For me, that’s where I inquire of the Lord to ask Him to show me where to go and what to do next. Most of the time it’s the complete opposite of what I was going to do, but it always ends up working out perfectly. I don’t know how God does it, but it always astounds me when the outcome is better than even I could have asked for.

We as believers know that when God tells us to move, in obedience we move, because we know that it’s imperative for us to obey even when we don’t fully understand the plan. In that same vein, I believe we also need to be obedient when God tells us to be still. He’s not telling us to be still because He doesn’t want us to take the next step, He’s telling us there is something up ahead that we are not aware of. He is aware of it and we must be obedient to give Him time to clear it from our path so that thing doesn’t destroy us.

Being still allows God to build a solid foundation under our feet so that when He brings us from the back to the front, that we will not falter. We’ll be able to handle all that comes our way. When we allow God to do His best work on the inside of us first, He is able to work through us and fulfill purpose and destiny for those lives we are meant to touch. If you are in a season of stillness, don’t get weary in the process. Continue to work, serve and prepare yourself for what is about to come. God will not let you down and His plans are way better than ours. Allow Him to perfect every detail and when He releases you, nobody will be able to stop you.

By: Etosha Bahaiddin
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