Do you feel tired, stressed out, and under-joyed? Could it be that you’re working too hard and resting too little? Or maybe you’re holding on too tight instead of daring to let go? Perhaps it’s been too long since you’ve felt the sun’s warmth on your face or enjoyed a belly laugh down to your toes.
God wants to do the heavy lifting. He wants to give you rest where you need it. And He wants to activate and reenergize your faith in a way that puts power in your steps.
You’ve maybe heard me teach on this passage of scripture in the past because it’s one I return to time and time again:
“Be still, and know that I am God!
I will be honored by every nation.
I will be honored throughout the world.”
Let’s break down the phrase “be still,” which also translates, “cease striving.”
• Let go
• Sink down
• Relax
• Be quiet
So often we exhaust ourselves by striving, straining, and holding on too tight to things we were never meant to control. Especially if you’re hyper-responsible (which I am), it may feel irresponsible to let go of whatever you’re white-knuckling. But you’re not just tossing your cares into cyberspace. You’re casting your cares upon the Lord (See 1 Peter 5:7). You’re taking the things that zap your strength and handing them over to your capable, loving, faithful God.
What is God asking you to let go of today?
Next, it’s time to sink down into the Father’s love. Whatever you’ve known of the Father’s love, know this: there’s more. To sink down into the Father’s love is to stop all of your strivings and rest in Him. Sometimes that means a literal nap, but it’s more of a posture of the heart most times. It’s approaching your whole life with an awareness that you are loved by Creator God, and you know in your knower that more rests on His shoulders than on yours.
Then it’s time to relax. When was the last time you enjoyed your life? Tasted your food? Laughed with your kids? King Solomon surveyed his whole life and came to a few conclusions. Here’s one of them:
So I recommend having fun because there is nothing better for people in this world than to eat, drink, and enjoy life. That way, they will experience some happiness along with all the hard work God gives them under the sun.
Let go. Sink down. Relax. And be quiet?
Sometimes, our own words add to our stress and our fatigue. If what comes out of your mouth is adding to the stress of your days, better to be quiet and listen for the still small voice of God. He speaks life and peace to His people.
I listen carefully to what God the Lord is saying,
for he speaks peace to his faithful people.
But let them not return to their foolish ways.
Let go. Sink down. Relax. Be quiet. And encounter God.
The word know in Psalm 46:10 literally means to experience or encounter God in the very areas where you’ve strived and strained to handle things on your own. What a beautiful invitation! To encounter God in the same spaces of our lives where we feel worn down and stressed out. What might it look like to encounter God in your finances, your family, or your health?
If you need some practical steps for reactivating your faith and reenergizing your perspective, maybe this will help:
REST
Using the acronym rest, let’s look at a good road map going forward:
R: Rehearse God’s Word and remember His faithfulness. Too often, our default thought processes take us right into the ditch of despair. If left unchecked, our thought patterns will reflect our hurts, hardships, and stresses more than they will the character and faithfulness of God. So, replace some of your most stressful thought patterns with corresponding scripture passages. Rehearse. Rehearse. Rehearse. God’s Word is living and active and powerful and will change you from the inside out. Also, remember His faithfulness. When you take some time and space to recognize the ways God has come through in the past, you’ll more likely believe that He’ll come through for you in your present. When you remember you have a history with God, you’ll more firmly believe you have a future with Him. Plus, remembering good memories helps you remember other good memories. And the converse is, unfortunately, true as well. Rehearsing and remembering hurts will only bring up more hurts. It’s time to rehearse and remember the redemptive and life-giving things!
E: Engage your faith and enjoy your life. We often feel stressed and exhausted because we’re either trying too hard to do things on our own strength or postponing the things we know we should do. How about if you cast your cares upon the Lord? And then you ask Him what faith and obedience look like in this season? When you step out in faithful obedience and do only what He’s asked of you (no more, no less), you’ll feel your spiritual energy return. And then there’s the call to enjoy your life. Like I mentioned earlier, if we go too long without enjoying the good things in our lives, we’ll soon lose heart. Right here, right now, with your piles and your task lists and your unfinished business, enjoy your life. Laugh. Dream. Pray. Dare to wrap your arms around all of the good things in your life and thank God.
S: Stand on His promises and sing of His faithfulness. There are promises in scripture that are from God’s heart to yours. Spend regular time in God’s Word. Ask Him to speak to you. Listen for His voice. Find your promises and plant your feet on His Word. Then, sing to the Lord a new song. He deserves your praise, not because of what He’s about to do for you but because of all He’s already done! He deserves your worship and thanksgiving. Offer up a song of praise today. It’ll glorify Him and strengthen you.
T: Trust Him while He trains you. Psalm 18 shows us how God turns us from victim to victor. God is using your current trials to train you into a faith-filled spiritual warrior. He’s teaching you to stand on high places, scale walls that once held you back, and see your enemy defeated before your very eyes. Don’t despair over your trials. Ask God to show you how He’s using them to prepare you for your next place of promise.
Reenergizing your faith
