“Be still and know that I am God.”
Psalm 46:10
For years, I wrestled with what felt like two completely opposite commands. Scripture tells us, “Be still, and know that I am God.” Yet throughout the Bible we’re also called to work wholeheartedly, persevere, make disciples, use our gifts, and faithfully steward what God has entrusted to us. So, which is it? Am I supposed to sit quietly and trust God? Or am I supposed to roll up my sleeves and get to work? Maybe you’ve wrestled with that tension too. I know I have.
If I’m honest, I rarely struggle with doing too little (even with back issues). My struggle has always been doing too much, or more accurately, carrying too much. I could easily convince myself that everything depended on me. If I worked harder…planned better…thought farther ahead…anticipated every possible outcome…then maybe everything would work out. The problem wasn’t that I was working. The problem was the heart posture that was driving my work. Without realizing it, my diligence had quietly become striving. It took me a long time to realize that God never asks us to choose between resting and working. He invites us to work from a place of rest instead of for it.
That distinction has changed the way I think about obedience.
The Difference Between Working and Striving
Work is not the enemy. In fact, work was part of God’s good design long before sin entered the world. Adam was given meaningful work in the garden. Jesus lived a life of purposeful ministry. Paul traveled, planted churches, made tents, and poured himself out for the gospel. Scripture repeatedly commends diligence, faithfulness, and perseverance.
God never calls His people to laziness. But there is a difference between faithful work and anxious striving.
Striving whispers, “If I don’t make this happen, everything will fall apart.” “It’s all on me.” “I can’t afford to fail.” “I have to figure this out.”
Faithful obedience sounds different. It says, “Lord, I’ll faithfully do what You’ve asked me to do today, and I’ll trust You with everything only You can do.”
Both people may be working just as hard. The difference isn’t visible in their calendars. It’s visible in their hearts. One is driven by fear. The other is fueled by trust.
What Does It Mean to Be Still?
Psalm 46:10 is one of the most quoted verses in Scripture. “Be still and know that I am God.”
Many of us picture someone sitting quietly in complete silence, doing nothing at all. But that’s not the picture the psalm is painting. The Hebrew word carries the idea of letting go, relaxing your grip, even dropping your hands. God wasn’t telling His people to become passive. He was reminding them that He is the One who fights battles they cannot.
That’s an important difference. Being still isn’t primarily about the absence of activity. It’s about the presence of trust. It’s a heart posture before it’s ever a physical posture. Sometimes the holiest thing we can do isn’t stop moving. It’s loosening our grip on outcomes we were never meant to control.
We Still Have a Part to Play
Understanding this changed the way I read other passages of Scripture. Take Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 3:6: “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.” This scripture shows us that everyone had a responsibility. Paul planted. Apollos watered. God produced the growth. No one had every job. That’s incredibly freeing. Too often, we try to take responsibility for things God never asked us to carry. We try to change hearts. Control timing. Guarantee success. Predict outcomes. Open doors. Close doors. But those things belong to God.
Our responsibility is faithfulness. His responsibility is the outcome. Psalm 127 says, “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.” Notice it doesn’t say the builders should go home. They’re still building and depending on the Lord rather than having confidence in themselves. That’s what it means to co-labor with God.
One Question Changed Everything for Me
For years I kept asking, “Am I doing enough?” Looking back, I don’t think that was the right question. A better question is, What’s driving my work? Am I working because I love God and want to faithfully steward what He’s given me? Or am I working because I’m terrified everything depends on me?
Anxiety constantly pulls us into imaginary futures. “What if this fails?” “What if I make the wrong decision?” “What if I miss God’s will?” Faith brings us back to today. “Lord, what are You asking me to do today?” That question changes everything. Because today’s obedience belongs to me. Tomorrow’s outcome belongs to God.
What Working from Rest Looks Like
Working from rest doesn’t mean becoming passive. It means holding our assignments with open hands. Before I begin my work, I can surrender it to God. As I work, I can do it wholeheartedly, giving Him my very best. When I’m finished, I can leave the results in His hands. That’s harder than it sounds. I naturally want to replay conversations, overanalyze decisions, and imagine every possible outcome. I want to solve problems that haven’t even happened yet. But every time I pick up tomorrow’s burdens, I quietly lay down today’s peace. Jesus never invited us to carry both.
I’ve learned that surrender isn’t a one-time event. It’s a daily decision. Sometimes an hourly one. It looks like praying honestly instead of pretending everything is fine. It requires confessing where fear has taken over. And start praying like praying Jesus’ words in the Garden of Gethsemane: “Father, not my will, but Yours be done.”
It looks like obeying quickly when God makes His direction clear. It looks like remembering His faithfulness when my circumstances tempt me to doubt His character. Most of all, it looks like opening my hands again and again. Because I have a tendency to take back what I’ve already surrendered. Maybe you do too.
Stop Striving and Trust God
One of the greatest lies that anxiety tells us is that everything depends on us. The gospel tells a different story. God never asked us to guarantee success. He never asked us to control every outcome or carry tomorrow before it arrives. Being still doesn’t mean we do nothing. And working hard doesn’t mean we carry the weight of the world.
We can have busy hands and still have a resting heart. So today, open your hands. Release what was never yours to carry. Then use those same hands to faithfully do whatever God has placed before you. Because the goal isn’t to stop working. It’s to stop striving so hard and trust God with the outcome.
Happy Resting,
💛Dee
If this story resonated or helped in any way… I’d love to hear your story in the comments below. And if you’re looking for more ways to grow your faith? Head over to the dee-votionals for monthly encouragement, practical teaching, and resources to help you live with Christ, courage, and clarity.
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