Pastor’s Corner: “Be Still & Know”
Psalm 46:10 (GW) – Let go of your concerns! Then you will know that I am God. I rule the nations. I rule the earth.
Every day, you have to decide who’s going to be in control of your life — you or God.
That choice is a battle between your flesh and His Holy Spirit. There are things in your life that you want to control. You want to make your own rules, but stress relief always starts with letting God be God. It always starts with saying, “God, I’m giving up control, because you can control the things that are out of control in my life.”
I don’t know what you’re going to face this coming year let alone this coming week. You don’t, either. But I can already tell you what God wants you to do: Let go, and know. Let go of control, and know that God is in control. Or to put it in other words: Psalm 46:10 (NLT) – 10 “Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.” Psalm 46: 8, 10 (MSG) – Attention, all! See the marvels of God! Step out of the traffic! Take a long, loving look at me, your High God, above politics, above everything.” This is the first step to serenity in your life no matter the circumstances you face or how difficult your struggles are.
Whenever we face out-of-control situations, we tend to go to one of two extremes. For some of you, the more out-of-control your life gets, and the harder you try to control it. Some of you do the exact opposite: You just give up! You have a pity party and invite yourself to it. Both of these reactions to stress and difficulties are foolish. They don’t work. Instead of being a victim or becoming hyper controlling, you need to pray a prayer of surrender. “Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?” (Matthew 6:27 NLT)
The number one reason you’re under stress is because you’re in conflict with God and His Holy Spirit working inside of you. You’re trying to control things that only God can control. You can’t control your husband or your kids or your wife or your job or your future or your past or any of that stuff. The more you do it, the more you’re trying to play God, and that puts you in opposition to God. Not only are you going to lose that conflict, but you’re also going to be exhausted. Have you ever considered the reason why you are so tired and exhausted is not because of your circumstances but because you are in conflict and opposition to God?
Millions of people pray the Serenity Prayer, which is based on the Lord’s Prayer, but most have never read the last eight lines to the prayer: “Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time, accepting hardship as a pathway to peace, taking as Jesus did this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; trusting that you will make all things right if I surrender to your will so that I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with you forever in the next. Amen.”
I like what Martin Luther said: “Pray and let God worry.” That is really the secret. Philippians 4:6–7 (NLT) – “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus” The next time you are gripped by fear and worry, the next time you start thinking, “what if this happens, what if that happens” or I have to do something about this! Stop (Be Still) and take a moment to look at God and surrender to His control in prayer. Look to the Lord and let Him give you His peace.
That’s where the power is! We avail ourselves to His power and His peace when we surrender to God the very things we’ve been trying to take control of from Him.
In His Grace,
Pastor Hamilton