Be Still

In my last year of high school several years ago, I had the opportunity to share a reflection on Psalm 46:10. From that moment on, it became one of my favorites. It is one of many verses in the Bible that reminds us that the world may be falling apart, but the Lord your God is in control even though you can’t see it.

In this article, I want to share some verses, provide an analogy, and give you some extra support tools that have helped me, and continue to help me, “be still.”

“He says, ‘Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth” (Psalm 46:10).

I recently had a conversation with Pastor Beto (Mission Hills Church’s En Español Campus Pastor). He shared an analogy related to this verse. He began talking about the work of lifeguards and their training.

Essentially, part of their job is to save people who are about to drown. But a very interesting detail is that they cannot rescue a person in danger as soon as they see them. Rather, they have to wait for a specific moment, just when the person in danger stops waving their arms and appears to have lost strength.

WHAT WE CAN’T SEE

“But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently” (Romans 8:25).

This is not a cruel practice. It is actually done so as not to endanger the life of the lifeguard or the person who is drowning. It would be easier to move a body in stillness than one that, due to human survival instinct, resists and complicates the entire rescue process.

DESPAIR CAN BE THE WORST ENEMY

We start working on a project and when we don’t see quick results, we begin to look for where we are failing and how we should improve. I do not mean that seeking excellence is bad, in fact, we must always seek excellence in everything we do, just as the Word says. But we must keep in mind that part of excellence requires gracious waiting and placing our trust in God.

We see someone drowning and since no one comes to the rescue, we decided to do it ourselves. And since we did not wait for the perfect moment, now we are also in danger.

While the lifeguard was waiting for that precise moment to take action and be able to calmly save the day, now the lifeguard will have more work to do.

This is how we are many times with the promises that the Lord makes for our lives. When we do not see – or stop seeing – how God moves, we quickly want to take absolute control of things, complicating what God planned for us. Our survival instincts put ourselves in danger.

Just remember, put God first and trust Him.

NOT EVERYTHING CAN BE IN MY TIMING

”There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens” (Ecclesiastes 3:1).

Something I have learned over time is to put my timing aside and prioritize God’s timing. That is, be still and trust that even if I can’t see something, God, our Heavenly Father is working. And at the end of the day, he will be exalted and this is what we really seek. If God says it will happen, we must understand and internalize that God will fulfill it. We just have to wait for that opportune moment within the “kairos” (or “right time”) of the Lord.

Being still does not mean do nothing and wait for everything to magically appear, and it has little to do with taking action or not. It is something more related to your attitude in the middle of waiting. It is the moment when you show where your level of trust is in God (who has told you that he will reign and that he will take care of you).

So I invite you to be still and trust in his Word and his promises for your life and your relationship with Jesus Christ can keep growing.

SOME USEFUL TOOLS

There are many verses in God’s Word that directly address the topic of waiting. Spend time in prayer is clearly a top priority tool we must use in any situation we may be going through, also seek God through bible study. In addition to these I want to share some songs that have helped me in my waiting times and in my relationship with God and that, to this day, continue to be a great help to me.

Closer Than You Know by Hillsong UNITED & Joel Houston
Way Maker by Leeland
Still / Be Still and Know by Don Moen
Take You at Your Word by Cody Carnes & Benjamin Williams Hastings
Man of Your Word by Maverick City Music