“Cease striving and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10
God is ever-pursuing our hearts.
With strength and majesty, He gets low and quiet in order to capture our attention with His gentle whispers.
He sweeps into our thoughts to remind us He is there, ever waiting, ever inviting our hearts to a peace so calm, so warm, so joyous, that we hesitate to take His hand because we wonder if that kind of deep peace is really possible.
We twirl around life, fixing our hearts and eyes on other pursuits because it’s our nature, we are human… and as humans, our hearts are prone to wander, as the old hymn goes, prone to look to anything but God to fulfill our hearts…
because the surface stuff seems like it will satisfy more. What’s the surface stuff for you that you run to to find fulfillment?
Obeying God feels hard, constricting, impossible… but the Pursuer of our hearts keeps pursuing because He wants to convince our hearts that obedience to God leads to a joy, peace, and freedom that maybe we have not yet tasted. Choosing humility over self opens up the door of our heart and our life to let God be at work in ways we cannot fathom, but the world tries to convince us otherwise. When we choose the path of humility, God is honored and we are blessed far more than if we choose the route that puts the focus on us.
In a world that is all about promoting self, our hearts are bombarded with the message that the more likes, followers, comments, friends, stuff, money, etc. we have….that somehow the better off we will be. So we work to try to build our platform, grow our following, climb up the promotional ladder, compete with our peers to be the best….where does it leave us….
It makes life more complicated than it needs to be and our hearts get crowded with the angst of an unfulfilled heart.
What would happen if we ceased striving, chose the humble route, and took our hands off the steering wheel of our life, bowed our hearts low, and let Jesus take full control?
What if we hung onto the truth that the way to grow into the people God created us to be is to choose humility in the small stuff (the stuff no one sees) and to let God do the big stuff.
How is God asking you to choose humility over self in your own life?
Choosing humility is a choice that the Pursuer of our hearts will use to protect our hearts from unnecessary angst and inner turmoil.
Will you walk the unpopular road, the less glamorous road, the narrow road, in order to grab hold of the peace that only Jesus can offer?
Prayer: “Lord, this is a tough one. My nature wants to be selfish. My nature wants to get ahead. My nature wants to be the best. Lord, I have put my value into many other things other than you, but I have come to a place of realizing that those other things only leave me feeling empty. Nothing satisfies like you do. Help my heart choose humility in the small stuff, while at the same time, trusting You to work and do the big stuff in my life. Help me choose humility when everything in me wants to choose my own way. Thank You for pursuing my heart constantly. Thank You for loving me enough to wake me up to the very things that are keeping me from experiencing all the peace You offer. I don’t want to go through life stressed, anxious, and unfulfilled. I want to know Your peace, Your joy, and Your ways.”
This is so spot-on, Sarah! Thank you for writing this! On days (like today :) when I’m struggling with purpose and what I can “do,” it helps to remember to be still and know Him. Beautiful words!