Have you ever tried to hold a squirming toddler? You wrestle, bounce, sing…anything to get her to relax and rest still in your arms. But in her willfulness, she can’t see that if she would let go and just relax, her tension, tears, and distress, would soon melt away. Do you wonder if that is how God feels about us sometimes? I came across this quote from H.E. Manning, “Neither go back in fear and misgiving to the past, nor in anxiety and forecasting to the future; but lie quiet under His hand, having no will but His.” Wow! That is a challenge for me, I will testify to that! My mind is constantly thinking; scrolling the past and looking ahead and envisioning the “what if’s” that could be. I don’t often lie quiet and rest under His will. That brought to my mind, the vision of a toddler and stopped me in my tracks! Is there any situation that is outside God’s control? Absolutely not! Governments and kings will fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever!

I encourage you to read Psalm 37, written by David around 1000 years before Jesus was born. “Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” David goes on to write, “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; Do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.” What good does your wrenching and wailing do? Nothing! David tells us to “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him”. If we cannot trust the Lord, whom then can we trust?

Elizabeth Elliot said, “A spirit of resistance cannot wait on God. I believe it is this spirit which is the reason for some of our greatest sufferings. Restlessness and impatience changed nothing except our peace and joy. Peace does not dwell in outward things, but in the heart prepared to wait trustfully and quietly on him who has all things safely in his hands.” When I read this, I saw myself as if I were looking in a mirror. Oh, how does peace elude me! There is so much wrong in the world. So many things out of my control! But my friends, do you know what is in my control? I can control my time; how I choose to spend my time, what I put my time into, and how much time I spend in the word and in prayer. And if I am seeking peace, why would I not go to the author of life and peace himself? As Jesus was preparing his disciples for his impending death, he told them, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give it to you as a world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27)

As I struggle against my own will and the thoughts that seem to be always racing through my mind, the what if’s and the constant list of tasks that need to be done, I feel God whispering to my heart. Peace-Be Still. Rest a while and let go of all the worries and troubles and let me carry you through this day.  The peace that I seek cannot be found in this world. It requires me to stop wailing, thrashing, and kicking. It requires me to be still and to give my will over to the Father; his good, pleasing, and perfect will.