Why Stillness Must Come Before Healing
I pray you find a quiet time today to still your weary heart
“Be still, and know that I am God.” -Psalms 46:10, WEB-BE
What Stillness Means
Stillness doesn’t mean that your problems are already solved
and that you have nothing more to worry about.
Stillness doesn’t mean that you are already content
with everything that you have.
Stillness doesn’t mean that you have no regrets.
It doesn’t mean you no longer have questions
hanging at the back of your mind.
Stillness on the other hand, is that point
where you take a deep breath
to pause for a while,
and to find some rest,
amidst your days of toil.
Stillness is recognizing that you have your problems,
but worrying about them now
will do no further good.
Stillness is hoping to find your hopes again,
and to find answers
beyond those that didn’t work.
Stillness is opening up one’s heart
to find that deep silence within,
in that secure place
untouched by raging storms.
Stillness is a plea for help.
It is a hand surrendered in prayer.
Stillness is an invitation for mercy
so that one may find its way to peace.
How do you find stillness amidst the storm of all your daily concerns? How do you find peace when there are mouths that need to be fed, when there are expectations that need to be met, when people around you are hurting and counting upon you alone?
Why seek stillness at all?
When we are faced with grave difficulties, our instincts often lead us to our fight or flight mechanism. We are alarmed, we panic, and we move just for the sake of moving, as though by worrying and keeping busy, we are already addressing the problem at hand. But are we?
To seek stillness is to seek a solution first before wasting our time with useless efforts that only make us tired and exhausted later on. To seek stillness is to have a clear mind that can give us true guidance. It is to be able to tap into a source of power before spending our energies in futile tasks.
It is said that worry is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do but it gets you nowhere.
If you truly desire to find the answer to your problem, you must begin from a place of power, not from a place of fear.
It is foolish to set out on a journey to a place you’ve never known before without acquiring a map first, but that’s what we do. We make our actions even before knowing the best thing to do, even before trying to be still.
To be still is not to waste precious time doing nothing. To be still is to spend useful moments contemplating and receiving the true answer to your concerns.
The Door To Stillness
Sometimes we wonder why God had to wait until we’re tired and worn out before He gives us what we want. And the answer is that we have made Him wait that long before we allowed Him to carry on His work and give us what it is we’ve been praying for.
We don’t enter into stillness as a sign of our triumphs. We enter into stillness because we finally surrender.
We acknowledge our hurts, our fears and our disappointments. We acknowledge that we don’t know what to do next. We acknowledge that we need to pause and to retreat for a while because our powers are no longer sufficient to carry us through the rough times ahead.
To be still is to surrender, and there is great power in surrender!
Most people do not accomplish everything they are capable of doing because they have not come to the end of themselves and the beginning of their God-ordained destiny.
There are many times, when because of our utter brokenness, we yearn to find relief in prayer, but we don’t even know where to begin. It seems as though we have forgotten how to pray altogether. In times like that, let us not give up. And let God Himself help teach you how to pray.
Below are just very simple tips one can use to start with:
1. Be Still
Even for just a moment, find yourself some quiet time to pause. Give yourself the opportunity to hear God’s gentle voice, comforting you, letting you know you are never alone. Remember how long it was since you have listened to your own fears and worries, how long since you’ve listened only to the noise and suggestions of the world around you. Give this moment to God. Be still, and let Him draw your heart to true prayer.
2. Be Honest
God knows everything about you: your past, your present concerns, the future He has planned for you. He knows where you hurt, and He knows what it is you fear the most. He knows your suffering because He has already been there to meet you. He is Truth Himself. Tell Him everything you feel, even those things you dare not mention to your closest friends. Hide not anything so He may help you in all things.
3. Be Hopeful
We come to prayer with the hope that Somebody good and true is listening to us. We hope to receive His Mercy, His tender Love. Prayer is not an imagined conversation or a meditation to calm our nerves. It is a true interaction with Someone, with Jesus. It is only with hope that we can get the most out of any prayer because with hope, we open up our hearts, and we believe that Someone is willing to fill our hearts with peace.
Final thoughts
Have you come to the end of yourself? To the ends and limits of your own powers? Then you have just arrived at the door to stillness. Go ahead. Open the door, and you will find the answer you’re looking for.
