Be Still and Know

Read Philippians 4:4-9

There is something about humans that I find intriguing and yet, frustrating. It is when people begin to worry about things that have not even come into existence. You know what I am talking about. We play the “what if” game in our minds, and because most people see the world around them, their “what ifs” tend to lean negative.
I have read of people that are afraid to be in the sunlight because they believe that they will get skin cancer. Others have never reached their potential because the “what if” of failure makes them so tense that they cannot see the possibility that they would be outstanding in some chosen field. The bible admonishes us to take no thought for tomorrow. That doesn’t mean we do not need to plan and organize our lives, but it does mean, don’t worry about what you will face because you have enough to deal with today. Some people “lock up” with fear for tomorrow and they never deal with today.
The psalmist wrote, “Be still, and know that I am God” (46:10). Paul exhorted the Philippians to “be anxious for nothing” (Phil. 4:6). And Peter instructed his readers to cast all their cares on God (1 Peter 5:7).
How can someone stop worrying and be “still”? Only through prayer and trust in the loving God (Phil. 4:6-7). Those who cast their cares on Him can set aside the noise and confusion, ambitions and strivings, and enter into the peace of God (v.7). This doesn’t mean that those who are “still” before the Lord will escape life’s dangers and dilemmas, but it does mean they will have the ability to live with tranquility in the midst of them. Though trouble may remain, the confusion, apprehension, and despair begin to fade away. Such people show poise under pressure; they’re unshaken by life’s alarms; they radiate peace wherever they go.
If you’ve never acquainted yourself with the depths of God’s love and His call for you to live in that love, your life will be filled with anxiety and cares. You’ll often be fretful and restless—always looking for that illusive “something more.” When you learn to turn your confidence toward God and cast your cares on Him, you can be calm in the midst of life’s demands. Because God cares for us, we can leave our cares with Him.

“It's not the work which kills people, it's the worry. It's not the revolution that destroys machinery it's the friction.”
- Henry Ward Beecher