I recently joined a ladies Bible study group, and we are currently focusing on a series by John Eldredge called “Get Your Life Back: Everyday Practices for a World Gone Mad.” He mentions that so many things compete for our time and attention that we can feel frazzled and worn out. He suggests taking a “one minute pause” during your day to reset your mind and center your soul.
I don’t know about the others in the small group, but this powerfully spoke to me. Currently, we are flooded with news of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, video of a plane crash that shows it plunging vertically to the earth, the ongoing death toll from the COVID-19 pandemic, inflation, and skyrocketing gas prices, and issues closer to home with friends and family in need. In this age of instant and unrelenting access to information on everything that is going on around us, it can at times just be too much to bear. We can feel stressed, scared of the future, unhappy, and hopeless. But if we go to God’s Word, it has a solution for all these things that trouble us.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7, NIV).
We need the peace of God to guard our hearts and minds. If we can take just a moment to pause, unplug and place everything and everyone in God’s hands, it will give us the calm we need in the chaos. The peace that He provides cannot be duplicated by anything the world offers. John 14:27 says, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
I have a granddaughter whose name is Selah. Of course, she is amazing, and we don’t know how we ever made it without her! Like her beautiful name, Selah is a word used many, many times in the Psalms. It is a word that invites the reader or singer to pause and reflect on the message or song just given. Throughout Psalms, we are encouraged to praise God for who He is and what He has done. Then, we are instructed to pause and reflect on those thoughts.
I love to go hiking to explore nature whenever I can. There’s just something about being in God’s creation that causes me to take a deep breath and release all those cares and worries that weigh so heavily on my shoulders. It brings to mind the first part of Psalm 23 “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He refreshes my soul” (Psalm 23:1-2, NIV).
Envisioning green pastures, and still, quiet water with a gentle breeze brings everything into focus. I encourage you to find a place where you can spend some time with the only One who can give you true rest. He wants to be your peace in the midst of the storm; your calm in all of the chaos.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” —Jesus (Matthew 11:28-30)
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