Wait. Be still. Trust.

Those words just aren’t easy for me to swallow. They never have been. Just feels too much like doing nothing. I always say, “I am just not a sidelines kind of player.” Nope. I like the action, the battle, the doing – it makes me feel like I am contributing to the outcome, the victory, the hope.

Yet, there again, is the lie that I have all too often swallowed deeply. Truth is, sometimes the outcome just isn’t up to me. And as much as I want to be in control, in charge, and involved, the truth is that sometimes the best thing I can offer is not something that I can put on my checklist or take enough vitamins to conquer. Yes, sometimes the best thing I have to offer is actually a release of that which I want so desperately to grasp.

As I have walked alongside my sweet momma in these last few months – through chemotherapy and radiation, PET scans and long days at the hospital – I have become keenly aware of how very little I am able to “do” to contribute to the pursuit of healing…of this desperately desired victory. I want to DO something to make the outcome feel more secure, feel more certain. But the truth is that trusting Him beyond where I can see Him has been the richest journey thus far in my life.

Trusting Him beyond where I can see Him. Isn’t this where most of us live and breathe everyday? We want to create an environment that is predictable, controllable, plannable, checklist-makeable, but my experience is that it never quite works out that way. And in that realization, I have a choice. I can wait, be still, and trust the God of the universe and the Lover of my soul OR I can froth, and worry, and fret, flexing my muscles and determination to influence an outcome – or at least feel like I am.

And you know what? I am so grateful that He loves me enough to give me what is best, not what I am determined I want. As a good, good Father, He gives only good gifts. I can trust Him, even when it doesn’t feel or look good, that He is good. I can wait for Him, even when His timeline looks nothing like the one I would orchestrate. I can be still, even when my flesh wants to panic. He is who He says He is…and I really can trust Him.

“Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10

“The Lord will fight for you, you need only to be still.” Exodus 14:14

“Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for Him…” Psalm 37:7

“Wait for the Lord, be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” Psalm 27:14

“Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!” Isaiah 30:18

“Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.” Psalm 62:8

“The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him…” Nahum 1:7

In each step, each season, each breath…

I can be still.

I can wait.

I can trust Him.

So can you.

The song I want to share with you this week is by Hilary Scott, entitled, “Still.” Enjoy…and be encouraged to trust Him beyond where you can see Him. Today. Each day.

With joy for the journey,

Sarah

Sarah’s heart and passion is to connect worshipers around the globe, with all their gifts and talents, and come before the Throne of God…together. She is a proud Army Chaplain’s wife and homeschool mom of 3 full-throttle kiddos. She and her beloved husband, Jeff, have been married for 21 years.