When life starts to get crazy, sometimes we dart between one task and the next. When you get toward the end of the school year and there is a lot you need to accomplish, or when you’re at work and your shift is about to be done but you haven’t finished everything you need to, you might get stressed and start running around. In trying to complete things more quickly than you usually do, sometimes you end up making messes.

When we are stressed, we tend to get anxious and start moving faster. We try to fix things and get work done. The last thing we want to do is be still and let God move. But it can be helpful to remember that there are times in the Bible when God asks us to be still and let Him work. A good example is when the Israelites were leaving Egypt, and Pharaoh’s army came after them. The people were terrified and cried out to God. Then Moses said, “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still” (Exodus 14:14). Then God parted the Red Sea, and the people walked through on dry ground.

It can be difficult to “be still,” no matter what we are facing. But God is with us through it all. As we turn to Him, He reminds us that He loves us and He is powerful (Psalm 62:11-12). Even when life gets busy, we can take a moment to be still with God and rest in His peace. And, once we’ve put our trust in Jesus, we have the Holy Spirit living inside us, guiding us and helping us discern when it’s time to act (and how to act) and when it’s time to rest.

Sometimes, God invites us to let go of a situation and trust Him to take care of things. It can be hard to believe that God will actually work things out and He doesn’t really need our help to do it. But, then again, He is God. The same God who parted the Red Sea.

The next time you feel stressed, instead of running around and pushing yourself too hard, why not take a breath and ask God for help? ⦁ Emily Acker

⦁ What do you tend to do when life gets crazy? How might God be inviting you to “be still” in these times?

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10 (NIV)