Hush and Relax
 

Hush and Relax

Psalm 46:10 “Cease striving and know that I am God” (NASB).

When we focus on knowing about God, we are adding to our “to do” list. When we concentrate on knowing and enjoying God, we can begin to relax and appreciate him. Some of us are obsessed with wanting and gaining more. We strive to make certain that we will always have enough.

Enough of what? Everything. Enough knowledge, enough love and acceptance, enough security, significance, goodness, hope, enough of God’s love and grace.

When we strive only to know about God, we may be in competition to gain more knowledge than others. What we look like and what we say may become more important than God himself.

Sometimes our striving means that we keep so busy studying and reading that we neglect the reality of his person. The psalmist wrote a song. Included in the lyrics are the words: “Be still and know that I am God.” This verse encourages us to quit thrashing inside, hush and relax in who God is.

Lord, sometimes I am in such a race inside that even the thought of slowing down to relax with you is frightening. How can I expect to prove my competence if I cease striving? O, God, I need your help.

2008 Joan C. Webb

Remember that on several occasions in recovery, I went looking for what I wanted. Sometimes I used people, places and things, to get my answers, which meant that I wasn't trusting my God and waiting on His will, and I was totally into self will.

When I stopped, and quit looking, quite often what I needed was right under my nose and I had turned a blind eye or closed my mind and was looking with rose-coloured glasses, with limited beliefs, and using tunnel vision to only see what I wanted to see.

So many times I got caught up in busy, telling myself that I was doing God's will, after all I was doing service; and found I wasn't taking time to fill up before I gave away. I was running on fumes and projecting hot air, because even with it being service, I was playing God with my life and with the life of others, because I thought I knew the answers, for them and myself.

It is not good to rest on my laurels, it is best to rest in the arms of our God and know we are safe.

Yesterday on the bus, I saw a young guy with different pictures on his t-shirt and below them were the words "Jesus Heals."