It’s sad to say, but we live in a world where rest is a countercultural idea. According to a recent study, roughly 50% of Americans consider themselves workaholics. 60% of people report that they have a poor work-life balance, and 40% of polled American workers say that they spend at least four hours every week working for free. If the only thing that we ever really had to worry about was work, those numbers would probably be much lower. Even if they weren’t, things would be more manageable.
However, work is only part of the equation. If you have children, you already know how many hours a week you spend on extracurricular activities. Those hours don’t count the time that you spend getting your kids up, getting them ready, getting them to school, and getting them home. Then, you probably also find yourself trying to figure out what to fix for dinner, going to get the items you need, and actually preparing a meal.
Even if you don’t have kids, you probably have plenty of obligations. The specifics of those obligations may differ from person to person, but the overwhelming truth is that we just don’t have time to slow down and be still. What will happen if everything doesn’t get done? What will people say if the things that we’re supposed to accomplish aren’t done? Do we try to stay busy because we need to feel validated and important?
There are so many questions that surround the idea of being still, but the most prevalent one is how do Christians find the balance between doing what we’re supposed to be doing while living up to God’s call to be still.
If you’re tired of being tired, discover more about what it means to be still and how you can put this Biblical principle into practice.
Be Still and Know
Psalm 46:10 (NIV)
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
One of the greatest purposes of being still is found in the fact that it allows us to know God more intimately. When you meet someone new, whether it’s someone who could become a close friend, a romantic partner, or a business partner, if you spend all of your time talking, you will never really get to know the other person.
Take a moment and go back to your childhood and think about how many times a teacher may have told you to be quiet during class. Why? Because the teacher knew that you would never get to know what he or she was teaching about if you were constantly in motion or talking.
We often read this verse as though God is telling His people to be still (or to be calm) because He is God. While that’s certainly a fine interpretation of the passage, what if God is telling us something even deeper? What if this verse is God’s way of telling us to be still so that we can get to know Him more intimately. “Be still, and know more about Me.”
The idea of being still seems scary because we prioritize the things that we “need” to do so much. However, when you slow down and realize that being still allows us to know God more intimately, you quickly realize that there is nothing more important.
Being Still in the Waiting
Psalm 37:7-8 (NIV)
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. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret-it leads only to evil.
God’s command for His people to be still means to be quiet or to be calm. One of the most difficult times to do that is when we’re waiting on God to do something. It gets even harder when we’re hoping that God does what we want Him to do.
This is largely because we think we know what we need and when we need it. We have a vision for our own lives, and we assume that our plans for ourselves are best. After all, don’t we want what’s best for us?!
While we do want what we believe is best for ourselves, God is able to see into our futures. This means that He truly knows what is best for us. Since He can see the end of our story from our present moment, He knows what we need and when we need it.
The false gospel of self-reliance is prevalent in our society today. Culture teaches us that if we need to get something done, we should pull ourselves up and do it ourselves! That’s not God’s design.
Instead, He calls us to be still before Him, and to wait patiently. The only way to do this is to build up your faith. When we are fully trusting God, it becomes possible to trust Him and His perfect timing instead of trying to make things happen on our own.
Pursuing Contentment
Psalm 131:1-3 (NIV)
My heart is not proud, Lord, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. But I have calmed and quieted myself, I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content. Israel, put your hope in the Lord both now and forevermore.
Finally, in this Psalm, David compares himself to a child that has learned to be still. He is still because He knows that mother is going to care for him. He is still because he has already been weaned. That means that he has been nourished consistently, and he now knows that his mother will make sure that he has what he needs.
He immediately draws the comparison between a weaned child who trusts his mother and a spiritual child who trusts his Father. According to David, one of the foundational keys to being still is found in being content.
Our society does not teach contentment. Instead, we are constantly bombarded with statements that tell us that we need to pursue more. No matter how big your home is, there’s somebody telling you that you need a bigger one. No matter how nice your car is, there are always commercials and ads telling you that you need a newer, nicer car. No matter how much money you make, there is somebody telling you that you need to do whatever it takes to make more.
While there is certainly nothing wrong with wanting to improve your life and the lives of your family, we must strike the balance between ambition and contentment. When we are content, we can be still because we’re not chasing something new. When we allow ourselves to slip into a lifestyle of discontentment, we will never be still. People who aren’t content are always chasing something newer, shinier, bigger, and better. God doesn’t want us to live our lives in perpetual motion.
Instead, rest in the goodness of God that you’ve already seen. When we begin to truly count our blessings, recognizing every good and perfect gift that God has given us, we no longer have to keep running after something new. Instead, we can just be still.
A Closing Prayer:
Heavenly Father, help me to overcome the culture of busyness that I live in. Help me to understand the importance of slowing down so I can truly rest in You. Thank you for every good thing that You have given me, and for calling me into an intimate relationship with You. In Christ’s name, Amen.