Be Still and Know

I wanted to try something different today. This has been on my heart and when a sweet friend asked me to share something with her blog, I decided to put it here too. I am by no means a perfect person, but with God I have a chance to be perfect forever. I hope this touches at least one person!

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

This year has been pretty tough. My mother was diagnosed with cancer and it shook my world. To have the strongest woman I know, sit down and tell me that she has a disease that the doctors are not sure is curable, is a huge blow. No matter your age, you always need your mom. So when this happened, the worst thoughts crept into my mind. What would happen if she lost her fight? Who would I call when I needed something? What would happen to my dad (who she has thought for, for the past 40 years)? The only thing I knew to do was pray.

I prayed in the car, in the shower, when I went to bed at night. I tried finding the right words, but nothing seemed appropriate. I begged God for my mother’s life; I pleaded with Him. But in the silence a voice kept repeating, be still and know, be still and know, be still and know.

If you know me, then you know that there really isn’t anything that “still” about me. I am pretty high strung and I am always on. My mind races in different directions, getting ideas as fast as I forget them. When God spoke to me, I did not know what to do. Just imagine a woman on her knees in her craft room, looking up to the heavens and saying, “Yes? God is that you?” I was not sure what he wanted me to do. How could I be still? My mother’s life was on the line, this was one of the biggest hurdles I had to face in my 30 something years…be still, wait...yeah right God!

But it seems that even in our darkest days, God finds a way to show you what you need. I needed to be “still”. I needed to clear my mind, trust in God, and wait for the answers that he was preparing. Trusting in God’s plan is not easy. Like I said before, I pleaded for my mother’s life. But God wanted something different from me. He wanted me to know that he had a path laid out for my family, all I had to do was trust him. I needed to be still and know that he had this. He had my troubles, my doubts, my fears. He knew my heart.

If you are questioning God’s plan for you, or you do not understand how to be still, look at this translation. The God’s Word Translation of this key verse is “Let go of your concerns! Then you will know that I am God. I rule the nations. I rule the earth.” Just by seeing a different version, you can take a different meaning. Let go of your concerns, cast them on God. Because he rules everything, he will take care of you.

The path that God has led my family on this year has been trying. It has not been easy or happy at all times. But even in the pain, I knew that by trusting God’s plan, good would come. I am happy to say that although my mother’s fight is not over, she is fighting! She is drawing on God’s grace and continued support. My Christian walk has grown and my faith has been restored. Such a tragic diagnosis has healed my heart and the path of my family. God has honored me with a patient husband and a “better than normal” three year old. He has shown me how wonderfully blessed I am with Godly friends who have been with me every step of the way. God has used this trial for triumph. And to think, it all started with me being still. 

Run to God, lay your burdens at his feet. Be still and know that he will wrap his ever loving arms around you, all you have to do is ask. Have a great weekend!