Rivers & Robots - StillSample

DAY 2: When we are anxious.

What are you worried about today? Is it money? Or a friendship or relationship that is uncertain or in a precarious place? Maybe it’s concerns about health that have you feeling overwhelmed. 

Jesus knows each of our concerns. He is attentive to our heart and knows what we are worried about. Nothing is trivial to Him.

And yet God knows that worry too often is unfruitful. It cannot produce the things we are hoping for. Only God can. Only God can work in the midst of every situation for His glory and our good. 

The psalmist knows this, and calls us not to fret but to be still and wait. But waiting is hard to do. Fretting is active; it gives us something to do, something to say, or to talk about with others. And yet when we feel overwhelmed by life, there is only one thing which is essential: letting our hearts be still as we sit at the feet of Jesus. 

The Gospels tell the story of Mary and Martha hosting Jesus in their home. Martha is busying making preparations, but Mary simply sits and listens to Jesus. When Martha begins to fret about all the work that needs to be done, and about Mary’s seeming obliviousness to it, Jesus says, lovingly and calmly, ‘Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things, but only one thing is necessary.’

It isn’t that Jesus doesn’t care about our concerns; it’s just that Jesus knows there is only one thing necessary.

Today, before you enter the rush of the day, before the cares and concerns race to overtake you, stop for a moment. Be still. Quiet your heart. Picture yourself at the feet of Jesus. And listen. His words have life. 

Let go of your worries about the actions of others. There will be a time to act, to confront, or to repent. But before we act, we wait. 

In the waiting we remember that only God can bring about what we are hoping for. 

Be still, and wait.

Check out more here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkEnLBdEvhE&t=1805s