Be Still (Let Go)

Day two hundred nineteen

I have been praying a lot for those that are struggling in life.  Some are in financial crisis, some are suffering physically and mentally, and others are in a crisis of faith.  It is difficult for me to watch others suffer, it tugs at my heart and sometimes makes me wonder why would God let these things happen?  I know that all things the Lord does is for our benefit and experience, but some peoples burdens seem so much bigger and harder than others.  It seems unfair sometimes.  Then there is the fact that I often feel helpless in my efforts to ease their burdens.  What do you say or do for someone who is loosing everything they worked for?  Trust God doesn't seem to cut it.  What about those who are suffering physical pain or mental illness?  Words just don't seem to be enough.  

As I thought about this dilemma a scripture verse popped into my head Psalm 46:10, "Be still and know that I am God..."  I have heard this verse used a million times when talking about the trials in our lives.  Many teachers have taught the importance of stopping and being still during the difficult times to give yourself the opportunity to find God in the situation.  I learned something new today that helped me understand how this verse is so much more.

The word 'still' used in this verse is a word in Hebrew that means "let go" or "release". I found more power in the statement when it is read, "Let go and know that I am God."  Let go of all your problems, worries, concerns, etc, and when you do, then you will know God.  As I see it, being still takes effort, but letting go takes more effort.  It takes a huge amount of faith and trust in God to give our problems over to Him.  I think about the friends in my life that I call to ask to share my burdens and how close I feel to them in order to trust them with my worries.  Imagine what the relationship with God would be if we not only shared our burdens with Him, but all together let go of them and let Him lead us through them!

I still do not know the perfect words to tell someone going through difficult trials, but I do have a better understanding of why we go through them: Learning to let go leads us to a stronger relationship with God.  It is not always about the perseverance or enduring, it is about building the type of relationship with God that will get us back to Him.  A deeper relationship that requires spiritual growing pains.  Pains that take us to our limits, that push us to the edge, that require help beyond what any other person can heal.  Pain that helps us remember where to turn.

You would think that we would learn this lesson early on in our lives and never forget it so that we don't have to keep going through our trials, but we tend to be slow learners.  We are very blessed that He never gives up on us!

I will have to let the Spirit guide me in my words and actions when it comes to supporting others as they go through this growing process, my knowledge is not enough. And I will change the wording in my prayers from 'Lord please lessen their burdens' to 'Lord let them learn from their burdens to let go'. 

I hope today to learn to know God better!