Be Still and Know

Dear God,

Yeah, it’s okay. You can stare at me alright. Right now, I am staring at myself too.

Not sure I understand me either. Yes, I went quiet.

And yes, my silence was deliberate. I wanted to finish that book before I talk.

Lord, I read the whole book, “Good women get angry”

I needed to scrutinize my emotions, understand them and stop feeling guilty about them. Because good women get angry too. Good women should get angry.

And I am angry.

My anger is not aggression, it’s not out of place, it’s not emotions, and it’s not hormones.

It’s my expression that it is not right, and it should be fixed, and I will fix it.

The expression might be different and difficult but it’s not personal or malicious. It may come with rushes of words maybe because I have suppressed the context and content for too long, but it is real. And it does not make me a bad person. Just a person who wants to see things done better and handled better.

 

“However, your word says: Be Still and know that I am God”.

Be Still.

Hmmm. It’s simple right? Just be still. But how?

How can I be still amid the debacles?

How can I stay still when I see people make some very bad judgements with clean excuses.

I try so hard to be still as I watch the manipulations and strategies to undermine the good against the bad to take advantage.

I am working on being still when I see oppressions and tactlessness, and downright wickedness.

I pretend to be still when I see how far men can go for greed and self-interest.

And I force the stillness in the face of pain and sorrow.

Be still. I am still.

So, I stayed away to be still.

 

Lord, I can imagine how easy it is to be still up there because things are quite serene in heaven—no traffic, no deadlines, no endless notifications and no forecast! Down here, things are a bit different, to say the least. So here I am trying to figure it out how can I be still amid these shenanigans. My mind is tangled with questions, and I ask for your wisdom.

I don’t know if you’ve noticed (although I’m sure you have), but there’s quite a lot of meanness and wickedness happening in the world lately. The part of the world that we felt has mastered their act of civility just shot us in the foot. Sometimes, I wonder if goodness is becoming an endangered species. It seems like everywhere we turn, someone is doing harm to another, as though we’ve forgotten how to be gentle, to be kind, to be true, to help, or to see each other as humans.

We live like animals with no rules and the winner just takes all.

 

Dad, you have been staring at me since we started these conversations, no winks, no puckered faces, no rolling eyes. It’s strange.

Thank heavens, at least you smiled.

Dad, I have been gone for a long time and here I am, and you just stare at me?

 

“You seem to have loads on your mind…..I am listening”

 

Okay, Yes I have too much on my mind…….the world I live in is crazy….

The other day, I saw something that broke my heart. More than 35 children stampeded to death just for a promise of $3. Seeing that situation left me lost, hurt, and even a bit angry. All I wanted to do was reach out and fix it, to make things right, but it was wishful thinking, I can’t fix it even if I wanted to. $3? Dad, $3 dollars!

So, here’s my question: How on Earth (or in heaven!) am I supposed to stay still and at peace in the face of all this? I want to be still, like you taught us, to know that You are God and that You’re in control. But honestly, sometimes it feels like You’re the only one who can see the bigger picture, and here I am, with my little view of things, feeling helpless and frustrated.

 

“Then leave it for me…….I didn’t ask for your help”

 

“But why does it sometimes feel like You’re quiet in the chaos?”

 

Because My stillness is the answer to your chaos. You’re looking for Me in the noise, but I’m in the silence, steadying your soul. Think of it as divine Wi-Fi—strongest when you stop moving around looking for signal bars.

 

Hmmm.

I could really use some guidance on how to let go and trust, especially when it feels like things are so out of hand. How do You manage to stay calm, to watch us and still love us in all our flawed, often messy ways? And how can I learn to hold onto that same peace?

 

“Just stop panicking and start trusting. I didn’t promise there wouldn’t be storms; I promised you won’t face them alone. The boat might rock, but it won’t sink with Me in it.”

 

Hmmm. So, please forgive me if I’m asking too much, but could You lend me a bit of that divine perspective? Show me how to be still, not by shutting my eyes to what’s wrong, but by finding a way to trust that even in this world full of brokenness, there’s a plan I might not see.

 

“I already did. Keep your eyes open. Even in the darkest nights, there’s always a star shining somewhere. That’s Me winking at you.

 

Okay, but what about those days when being still feels impossible? Like when anxiety’s doing the cha-cha in our brain?

 

“That’s when “know that I am God” comes in. You’re not alone in the dance. I’m there, leading, even when you think I’m stepping on your toes. You can lean into Me.”

 

“I hear you Lord, but these challenges are scary, Lord! Bills to pay, wars, heartbreaks, traffics, Dad, Lagos traffic is a killer… and You’re telling me to “be still”? That’s like telling someone on a rollercoaster to just relax.”

“Exactly my point. When you stop flailing and fretting, you’ll notice I built the track to hold you up. Besides, do you think your frantic screaming makes the ride smoother?

 

Fair point, Dad.

 

“Picture this: You’re in quicksand. The more you struggle, the deeper you sink. “Be still” isn’t passive—it’s powerful. It’s when you stop fighting alone and let Me do the heavy lifting.”

 

You mean I have been angry for nothing?

 

You didn’t have to be.

 

Hmmm. I am sorry Lord. I hibernated because I felt you didn’t care much. I read that book to stop my guilt over that. And I battled with my doubts and pains. But all for nothing. In all these times, you were working everything out for good. Instead of the anger, All I needed was to trust you. Your arms are way bigger than the universe. You’ve got us covered.

Hmmm. You win Lord, you are right. It’s your game, It’s your play. You’ve got this. I will be still and know that you are God. No more panic buttons. I am good.

I’ll keep trying my best to be a light in my little corner of the world, even if it’s just a dim flicker in the grand scheme of things. And who knows? Maybe that flicker, along with Yours, could light the w

ay for others too.

 

This is your daughter, I am checking back in.