Be Still and Know God’s Power: How to Stop Striving and Trust His Plan

God opens doors for you that no man can close.

He brings open doors for you to be supernaturally productive and get things done, but He also brings opportunities your way to rest. Are you trying to work through those opportunities? Are you spoiling them by not guarding your thought life? Are you allowing your emotions to run amok instead of operating in meekness and following the leading of God’s Spirit?

Remember, a lack of faith, planning, discipline, vision, and self-control will cause you to toil when you should be resting and enjoying the fruit of your labor. Toiling can destroy your health because of the diet choices you make when you’re in a rush. If you’re toiling, you won’t take the time to eat what you should eat and you’ll just eat whatever is put in front of you. You’ll consume unhealthy things that are technically not even food. In order to stop toiling and live in the rhythm of rest, we have to learn how to stop striving and be still.

Stop striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted on the earth (Psalm 46:10 NASB).

“Stop striving” in the New King James Version is translated “be still.” It means to let go and relax. How often are you actually still? Not just still physically, but still mentally and emotionally? How often do you actually take a step back to just chill and say, “He’s God. He’s got this.”

This is part of the rhythm. There’s another word for it in Psalms. It’s selah, which means to pause and think about the verse at hand.

Lord, how they are increased who trouble me! Many are they who rise up against me. Many are saying of me, There is no help for him in God. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]! But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. With my voice I cry to the Lord, and He hears and answers me out of His holy hill. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]! I lay down and slept; I wakened again, for the Lord sustains me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people who have set themselves against me round about (Psalm 3:1-6 AMPC).

Part of the rhythm of rest is taking time to selah— pause and think. When you get into the rhythm of rest and you take time to pause and be still, you’re able to reflect. How many times do we do the same thing incorrectly again and again and again because we never reflect? We live so fast paced that we never take time to stop and think. We don’t take the time to ask ourselves, “Hey, did that work out? Did that actually have the impact I want?”

When was the last time you paused to reflect? Being still in the presence of God, knowing He’s God, you are able reflect over your week. You are able to ask yourself, “Do I need to make an adjustment in the upcoming week?”

When you take time to reflect, you are also able to realize, “Wow, God did some amazing stuff this week.” How many times do we miss the miracle because we don’t stop to reflect? We don’t realize what God did because we didn’t stop long enough to see what He did. Could we possibly be ungrateful because we never stopped to reflect and give God thanks for what He did for us?

When was the last time you paused, outside of church, and thought about what He did for you and where He brought you from? It’s so easy to get caught up in the trouble of the moment and forget about the 30,000 times He’s delivered you in the past.

How often have you wondered, “I don’t know how I’m going to make it through this?” But whoa, wait. Isn’t that what you said five years ago? Ten years ago? Fifteen years ago? Yet here you are.

You’ll miss God’s track record of faithfulness if you never stop and realize, “I’ve come a long way. I may not be where I want to be, but I’m not where I used to be, and I’m not who I used to be.” You won’t see that unless you stop, selah, pause, and think about it.

There are many things you can do to accomplish this part of the rhythm of rest. You can make a habit of journaling. You can just take a regular walk in nature and thank God for what He did for you that week. Whichever way you choose, make it a time to pause and reflect and think. This will remind you of God’s faithfulness, which will bring rest to you, help you become more creative, and help you think on a higher level.

When you selah, you are able to realize your one day wins. The rhythm of rest calls for times to selah. It calls for times to pause. When you pause and rest, you are able to reflect, and when you reflect you are able to perceive.

What Do You Perceive?

In Old Testament, the prophet Isaiah talks about people who see but don’t perceive: “Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive” (Isaiah 6:9 NKJV). In the New Testament, Jesus quotes this verse in both Matthew and Mark, and Paul quotes it in the Book of Acts. This concept is clearly important in both an old and new covenant context. There are people who can look right at something but they can’t perceive it. What does this mean? The word perceive means to become deeply aware of something.

When was the last time you perceived something? I actually believe you perceive things all the time, but you don’t stop long enough to realize that you perceived something.

The perceiving I’m talking about does not come from your mind, reason, feelings, or five physical senses. Yes, you should know the thoughts in your head. You should know how your body feels. You should pay attention to these different voices. However, I’m not referring to perceiving with your senses or your mind. I’m referring to perceiving with your spirit.

You have to realize that your spirit picks up on things. You are a three-part being. You are a spirit, you have a soul (which is your mind, your will, and the control center of your emotions), and you live in a physical body. If your body and soul can pick up on things, your spirit can also pick up on things. If you don’t take the time to pause and reflect, you’ll miss those perceptions. And if you don’t write them down, you will forget them.

And David perceived that the Lord had established him king over Israel, and that he had exalted his kingdom for his people Israel’s sake (2 Samuel 5:12 KJV).

In this verse, David had finally been anointed king. Several things had transpired on his journey to becoming king over all of Israel. It was a long journey. After he was officially in place, all of a sudden he became aware: “Woah! The Lord has established me. He’s exalted my kingdom for His people’s sake!”

Have you ever had a sudden “aha” moment like this, when you became aware of something God was doing in your life? You had a sudden moment of clarity. However, life came at you fast. You didn’t pause and reflect, and as result you never did anything with the revelation or clarity your spirit perceived. What have you forgotten because you didn’t pause?

You pick up on things all the time. It’s not always a voice. Sometimes it’s just a knowing, as if you become aware on the inside and you say, “Oh, I got it.”

Here’s a pro tip for your prayer life: take what you perceive to prayer. Should we pray about our thoughts? Sure. Should we pray about our feelings? Sure. But if you want to advance in the call of God on your life, you need to take what you perceive to prayer. When you do, you’ll realize, “Oh, this is what God is doing in my life.” There will be faith for the impossible because you’re picking things up from the Spirit of God.

You and the Spirit

A lot of times people miss their chance to use their faith because they copy other faith giants. It is good and scriptural to do that sometimes. Hebrews 6:12 teaches us to be followers of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. What should we follow or imitate? Their faith and patience.

But have you ever tried to directly copy the method of a spiritual person you admire? Sometimes it works for you, but then other times it’s clearly not working at all. Why didn’t a good, solid, spiritual method work for you in those times? The reason it worked for them and not for you is because they heard from the Holy Ghost and did what He told them to do. However, you’re trying to do what He told them to do, and it’s not working for you.

Faith still works, but you’re going to have to perceive something on the inside and realize, “Oh, that’s what I’m supposed to do.” Then after you become aware of what you are supposed to do, further inquire of the Lord by asking, “What more do I need to know about this?”

As you read 1 Samuel and 2 Samuel, you’ll see how often they inquired of the Lord. Sometimes they inquired of the Lord, and other times they didn’t. Sometimes, God gave one answer, but when they stayed before Him they received even more. Remember that the “I” in A.I.M. stands for inquire. After you perceive something, take time to inquire and talk to God about it. When you take what you receive to prayer, you’re setting yourself up for impossible things to become possible.

And said unto them, Sirs, I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage, not only of the lading and ship, but also of our lives (Acts 27:10 KJV).

In Acts, Paul was on this boat and he became aware that this journey was not going to turn out the way they wanted it to. The Scripture does not say an angel spoke to him. It does not say he had a vision. It says he perceived. All of a sudden, he became aware, “This is not right.” And if they had followed Paul’s perception, all of their cargo would have been saved.

How many times have you suffered loss because you didn’t follow what you perceived, maybe because it didn’t seem to make sense? It’s very simple. Believers and non-believers alike experience this. They say, “Something just told me.” It wasn’t a something, but a Someone—the Holy Spirit.

If non-believers can pick up on things, shouldn’t you as a saint of the Most High God? You might pick up on things when you’re in church. God will start talking to you about something that has nothing to do with what the minister is sharing. Take notes on the message and also on what God speaks to your heart. Write it down so you don’t forget it. Then take it to Him in prayer and inquire about it.

This isn’t about your reasoning. It’s not about your logic. Some people call it a feeling, but it’s not really your emotions. It’s becoming aware on the inside, because you are a spirit. Perceiving things does not mean you’re spooky. The Holy Ghost is not spooky. Spooky, weird people make the Holy Ghost seem spooky and weird. The Holy Ghost is not like that. He’s the One who’s setting the rhythm for your rest. If you get into this rhythm, you’ll be more supernatural. You’ll have more supernatural results, and you will enjoy your life.

Remember to take what you perceive to prayer. As you get into this rhythm, or you can call it “God’s flow,” you pick up on more. You won’t only pick up on things during “super deep” times, but also in your everyday life. Why? You’re inviting the holy into your common, remember? As a result, you will pick up things from Him even in the common parts of life.

We are made to live this way. Many times, we’re waiting for some goose bumps before we try to make a difference in our world or in a situation. What happens if you find yourself in a place where people need your help but you don’t feel “spiritual” that day? Do you tell them to try again tomorrow? They don’t know God, but they need an answer from God and they look at you. Jesus said that you are the salt and the light of this earth, so God will give you an answer. Well, where’s the answer? On the inside.