SIT DOWN, SHUT UP, AND TRUST GOD

I laughed when he said it. My friend had called me to share with me how once again, God had blessed him and his family. He had become anxious over a situation in which he had to wait for the outcome of an appraisal of the market value of his home. He had a few days when “what ifs” ran through his mind, but when he was notified of the appraised value, it turned out to be far higher than expected. He had called to share the news with me.

I suppose that the comment was in part motivated by the “I ought to know better” frustration of having spent a few days needlessly worried about an outcome over which he had no control. His statement was both amusing and profound. “You know”, he said, “I just have to sit down, shut up, and trust God!”  What wonderful advice.

In my own life there have been more than a few circumstances in which I was worried and anxious about things over which I had no control. I confess that some of these circumstances existed because I had failed to make good choices in areas where I actually had some measure of control over the outcome. Regardless, the truth is that you, my friend and I must remember that trusting in God brings a peace to the heart and mind that is otherwise impossible.

In the 112^th Psalm we read that the righteous man “will have no fear of bad news”, and that “his heart is steadfast.” (v.7) In Isaiah 26 – “You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.” (v.3).

Is there something happening in your life that is causing you to experience that nagging, anxiety that tugs at your heart and mind? I encourage you to sit quietly before God, and listen to the quiet voice of the Spirit, and rest in Him – the one who created and sustains you.

Just “sit down, shut up, and trust God.”

May it be so…

In Christ –

John

Soli Deo Gloria