I had a friend post this on social media recently and it caught my attention. I felt a need to respond as this is something that I have been working on in my own life.
My friend wrote:
I’ve been pondering a portion of this verse this week:
“.....Quiet me with Your love.....”
Zephaniah 3:17
What does this mean?
What does this look like?
How might God’s love be the agent that brings quiet?
Here was my response:
For me, this is trusting in His goodness and stepping aside. I always seem to want to know what is coming, how things will happen, and the many details of life and relationships; but this quietness looks like just stepping aside, letting God work, and trusting in His goodness. I recently was given this wise advice, "Do you think God is up there scratching His head? No. So why do you spend so much time scratching yours and trying to work out all the details and getting caught in the particulars? God doesn't scratch His head, so why do you?" This has been instrumental recently and this verse speaks directly to that for me. His love abounds and is so good and, in my quietness, stillness, and in relinquishing of control, I can then see that love unfolding as a love story for me before my eyes. If I don't step aside, I will miss that great love's blessings. I may reap the outcomes of the love but miss the joy in seeing God work.
For my entire life I have dealt with the struggle to have control in life. Over time, I have learned about the depth of that struggle and it illuminated for me the strength within this struggle. If we look at Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, many times we focus on the sin of “eating the apple”, but what does that really mean? Eve was guilty of desiring control and knowledge and answers. She allowed her internal desire to overshadow God’s goodness and the allowed mistrust to enter her heart. She did not trust that God’s goodness was better than her own knowledge of what was good. There are many times that I have “gave it to God” and “Let Go, Let God”, having all too easily fall back into my old patterns. I understand and due to the sinful nature of being human, that this is a struggle that will remain, but I have learned a few fighting words to help me when I resort back to this place. My prayers and fighting words in these times are “Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all of your ways acknowledge him and He will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6) and as a Sixpence None the Richer song continues, “Don’t worry about tomorrow, He’s got it under control. Just trust in the Lord with all of your heart and he will carry you through.” Another fighting phrase against this struggle “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear” from 1 John 4:18. A favorite song of mine that I cling to with this promise is “Rest Easy” by Audio Adrenaline and the chorus says “Rest easy, have no fear. I love you perfectly; love drives out fear. I’ll take your burden, you take My grace. Rest east, in My embrace.” Clinging to this love has brought rest to my weary soul in times of distress. Another verse of “fighting words” that rests in my soul, is from Exodus 14:14 “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Stillness is the peace that I need, and God is the One who can provide this if I am willing to step aside and trust in Him.
Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God.” If we take the time to sit in the magnificence of this verse, we see that the God of the universe, the one who IS, who is above all things, knows all things, and is before us in all things, wants us to just be still. He doesn’t want us spinning and trying to figure out everything about our lives within ourselves. He simply wants us to stop our spinning and our anxious doing and wondering, and still ourselves and to rest with Him. He is the author and perfector, who is holding us in his hands. He is bigger than any circumstance, trouble, trial, or hardship.
If we allow it to be, life can be filled with our desire to control as well as worry, as we grasp for knowledge and understanding within ourselves. We can veil this as a way we are trying to “survive” or “cope”, but I have found that the best coping comes when I offer up and surrender my own understanding and am still, quieting my angst in His loving embrace so that I can rest in the promise of goodness in my life.
Lord, help us to focus on your love so that we can quiet our souls and embrace the stillness that only you can provide.
