“Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10, KJV)

She saw it boldly written. The other words seemed faint as she glanced through her bible. She had flipped through the pages continuously and that was the only verse that she caught sight of. She threw her bible to the floor and went down on her knees. That wasn’t what she hoped to see. “But I don’t understand” she cried out.  “How do you really expect me to be still? I’m so overwhelmed! My mind is so overwhelmed” she said, crying. Everything seemed so dark. The hope she once had was being choked up with fear, worries, and anxiety. She thought about the 101 things that could lead to her death, seeing as the doctor had just told her that her test results were worse than before. She thought about what her friends would say when she’s gone…

“Be still and know that I am God”

This time she heard a voice whisper in her soul, and it was clear. She wiped off her tears, dusted her knees and sat down on the floor quickly, with her hands wrapped around her legs. “No more arguments. No more arguments” she said, repeatedly rocking back and forth. She sat still and quiet like a little child, her heart was ready. Ready to receive all her King had for her.

THE END.

It’s often said that people connect best with stories, so I decided to start with one, which is probably much shorter than you expected but I believe has prepared your heart for the rest of this post.

You probably can identify with the story in many aspects. Maybe you’ve been in a place of doubt, uncertainty, and fear. A place where though you know the promises of God, you’ve warred with it, spoken it over your lifetime and time again, but then all your efforts seem futile and you’ve wondered ‘WHY WON’T GOD SHOW UP RIGHT NOW’?

Truth is, a lot of us Christians on this journey have been there, and some of us are currently facing the same or similar scenario; so the question is “How can we really be still and Know that He is God” according to Psalm 46:10? How do we remain at peace through the process even when it seems like the fire is burning hot and we can’t take it anymore?

I’ve written this post to share what has helped me to remain still through THE PROCESS and I pray you’re blessed by it.

First off, one of the most profound lessons I’ve learned this year (which I believe is important for everyone to understand) is that ‘The process isn’t about what we receive, it’s more about what we become’

What do I mean by this? I was playing a math conversion game on one of my apps recently, and I kept failing. I needed to get through that level to move on to the next or else I was going to lose all the progress I had made that day. Now, because I really wasn’t patient enough to learn the measurement standards (i.e. 100cm = 1m), I just kept picking random answers to get through. I did this for 30 minutes until I finally made it to the next level. The Holy Spirit then asked me, “what did you learn at that level”?

Sincerely, I felt so stupid because after all the time I had spent trying to get to the next level, I still didn’t learn anything, and this is an app I pay for monthly so that it can help me increase my analytical abilities. This experience helped me to understand an important fact; what’s the point of the journey, if after all the time I’ve spent going through a process, I come out the same way? If I emerge with no lessons learned, no growth, no improvement, just the same as when I began, what is the point?

It is therefore important for us to understand that as much as we desire to receive the promise, we must not neglect the importance of growth, transformation, and change as we go through the process. We must intentionally seek to grow, transform, and change. Again, it’s important to note that WHAT we become through the process really matters. There can be a good change, but there can also be a bad change.

For us as Christians, if we truly remain still and allow God to carry out His perfect work in us, then the changes, transformations, and growth we will see in our lives will be ones that give glory to God, because the bible tells us that we are transformed into His image from GLORY TO GLORY.

“For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren “– Romans 8:29

So, HOW DO WE REMAIN STILL?

We can learn to remain ‘still’ by utilizing strategies I like to call PTTW

1. Praying through the process. Don’t stop talking to God through the process. You are not meant to go through the process alone (Isaiah 43:2), so, communicate with Him with all openness and sincerity all the time. Keep praying through the process.
2. Thanking through the process. Finding at least one thing to be thankful for through the process will always help to remain still. Science has proven that gratitude recruits positive emotions that have direct physical benefits to the body so keep thanking through the process.
3. Talking through the process. Talk to a friend, family member, Pastor or mentor. Seek counsel not just from anybody, but from a bible believing Christian that you can trust to give you godly advice, and who will also keep your secrets as well. Don’t bottle things inside, because you can get deeply overwhelmed by your thoughts when you do that.
4. Worshipping through the process. I don’t mean that you should just sing through the process or just listen to spontaneous worship sessions by Bethel Music (MY FAVE) or other awesome worship bands. Instead, you should intentionally live a lifestyle that is of SERVICE to God. Ensure that you are focused on Kingdom business, God’s business. Don’t just sit back wallowing or feeling sorry for yourself. There is a saying which states that ‘an idle man is the devil’s workshop’. So, get busy advancing God’s Kingdom by serving in your local church, worship God with your body, time, energy, money, everything you have! (Matthew 6:33)

Above all, HOLD ON TO THE PROMISE AND DO NOT LET GO.

“God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?” (Numbers 23:19, KJV)

Thank you so much for reading and God bless you.

Toluwanimi Akinola.

 

References:

Bible Hub. Online Bible Study Suite, 2004-2016, biblehub.com.

 

About the Author:

This post was written by Tolu Akinola. Below is her story.

Hi there! My name is Toluwanimi Akinola. I am from Lagos, Nigeria. I live and breathe for the One who gave His life for me – Jesus.
From 9am – 6pm on weekdays, I’m a business analyst at an ICT firm in Lagos. But, at any other time, you will find me writing/creating content for a blog, spending time with friends and family, or serving at my church. I love meeting new people and telling stories people can connect with. I hope that you will be able to connect with this story. God bless you as you meditate on it.