Learning to be Still

Summer Day 9

“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.” Psalm 131:1-2.

Learning to be Still

Have you ever seen a nursing baby with his mother? He has moments of stillness and quiet when he rests gently in her arms, but as soon as he gets hungry, he begins to show signs of restlessness. When his mother moves to get ready to nurse, the baby starts fussing, realizing his hunger and the need for comfort.

A weaned child, on the other hand, is peaceful and content to sit on his mother’s lap. Instead of crying out for the breast, he now feels satisfied to lie back, experiencing the warmth of being enveloped in mama’s arms and the comfort of resting against her chest.

Dear mama, do you ever feel like a nursing baby? Does your soul feel restless and weary when you think about the uncontrollable circumstances of your life? I know mine does. Many times, in my life, my heart has felt restless and discontent from the longings and unfulfilled expectations that have resided there. I found my thoughts consumed with anxiety, and my life felt out of control.

Even as I write, I sense the Holy Spirit calling me as He always does to live a surrendered life in complete humility and dependence on Christ. I feel God saying to me that I am worried about too many “great matters,” and I need to stop trying to control my life and my circumstances.

I am learning that only the patient love of Jesus brings true joy and peace. When I choose to give control of my life to Christ, trusting that He is good and will fulfill my longings in His way and in His timing, then I begin to see the truth: God is with me, sees me, and fulfills my heart’s desires in the proper way. I see that I can’t depend on people or things to make me happy. Only then can I surrender my expectations to the One who knows what’s best for me and trust that He cares for me. When I count my blessings each day and see what God does give me, I find my heart happier and peaceful.

Beloved, if you find your heart in a state of restlessness and discontent, join me in asking Jesus to help us humbly turn our gaze away from ourselves and onto Him so we may feel His love and care every day. As we keep our eyes fixed on the Lord and ask Him to fill us up as only He can instead of looking to our husbands, finances, friends, or circumstances to fill our every need, we find lasting joy and the peace that surpasses understanding.

We begin to walk through each day with Jesus and waltz through each season of life with a heart of love and gratitude.

Go Deeper:

Do you have unmet expectations and desires? Release them to God and ask Him to fulfill your longings perfectly. Ask for His help to wait patiently and delight in His will. As you wait, don’t miss the God-given opportunities to love others well. Seize every moment and choose to enjoy who and what He does bring.

What’s Next?

Establish “checkpoints” in your day to get into the habit of noticing the goodness of God. Involve your children and show them God is real! Upon waking and again at 9 AM, lunchtime, 3 PM, 6 PM, and bedtime, ask yourself, “Where did I see God’s goodness?” Make a poster of the different times and write the little blessings in each time slot. Try this for 21 days. This one habit will change your life as you begin to feel God’s presence and care in every moment of every day!

summer day 9

[box type=”download”]

Give hope, prayer, and encouragement below. Post a comment & talk about it.

[/box]
Deb Weakly

14 Comments on “Learning to be Still”

  1. This was wonderful to read and be reminded of, especially since I have started a completely new chapter in life and feel like I have lost all direction. I am glad to be reminded to focus on God instead of searching for the next step by myself while in this new season.

    1. Thank you Sonya! I feel the same way. New chapters in our lives can feel daunting and confusing, but the Lord helps us to learn to live well in each season. I am so thankful for you friend!

  2. Deb, this is such a beautiful and poignant study! To know and feel God’s peace and presence everyday…what a wonderful goal to strive towards each day! Thank you for sharing your heart, as always!

  3. Thanks Deb for sharing this important study of resting in the Lord and surrendering our human need for control. What PEACE when we obey and give our worries to Him. Love this sentence from your study;

    “I feel God saying to me that I am worried about too many “great matters” and I need to stop trying to control my life and my circumstances.”

    I also love your exhortation to teach our kids how to examine our day to see His fingerprints!!!

  4. Deb, this message brought tears to my eyes and ministered greatly to my heart. Such a heartfelt, beautiful devotional. Thank you, friend ♥️

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Time limit is exhausted. Please reload the CAPTCHA.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.