The Living Christian Course
Lesson 02: Be Still: Quiet Yourself To Hear God’s Voice
Day 3
Today we’ll introduce a tool that helps us address the weed of fear and anxiety in our lives.
The tool is called, S.T.A.R.
The “S” in S.T.A.R.
STOP
Don’t Fix the Problem, Person or Situation
Science shows us that when we are tired or overwhelmed, our ability to use our cingulate & prefrontal cortex is greatly diminished. These may be big words, but what does this look like practically? Among other things - our ability to make good choices, think creatively, connect relationally with others (God included), empathize and make wise choices – are all severely limited.
➔ Have you ever experienced a time like this?
Of course, when we are utterly exhausted, we simply need to sleep! But for the rest of the time we have great instruction in the Bible regarding practices that help us overcome our weaknesses and stay connected to God and in the peace of God.
The first step is to STOP. We need to learn that not everything has to be fixed right now nor can we usually fix it. When we insist on fixing problems or people, we almost certainly end up trying to control the person/situation. The same is true if we run from the problems and people that are causing us stress. There is a different option than, “fight or flight.”
We don’t want to miss out on whatever God is trying to do in the situation. Remember, he has an abundant life planned for followers of the Way. Psalm 37:7 (ESV) Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! Can you commit to pausing in your life? Can you commit to releasing control? The second step will help you even further.
The “T” in S.T.A.R.
TAKE
Take A Breather and Calm Down
In Canada and many other places around the world, being still and quiet is not something we practice regularly. In fact, many people feel shame or guilt when they aren’t busy ALL the time. We may think that being constantly busy is a sign of our value. Is this you? Sadly, this causes many people to burn out, even leaders who are supposed to model the power of being quiet and hearing God’s voice.
We were NOT made to go without a continuous power source! We are like rechargeable batteries and need to rest. God rested on the seventh day and commanded his people to rest. But aren’t followers of God intended to work hard in building his kingdom? Yes! Isn’t this urgent? Yes! Yet we still need to rest. We just need to pick the right kind of rest. Listen to what Isaiah said, Isaiah 30:15 (ESV) For thus said the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” But you were unwilling ….
It says that in rest, quietness and trust we will find our strength! Do you believe this?
In moments of anxiety, whether in a stressful situation, dealing with a conflict or feeling overwhelmed, we can practice stillness by exercising self-control over our bodies and breathing. Simply taking a few minutes to be still, relaxing our body and breathing deeply is often enough to calm our nervous systems. This isn’t weird at all, it’s how God made us!
The “A” in S.T.A.R.
APPRECIATE
and Connect to Jesus
Once we have stopped and calmed down, and taken some deep breaths, we are ready for the best way to enter God’s Presence and taste his peace – worship! Psalm 100:4 (ESV) Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!
We have a worship idea for you described below this section!
How do we enter his gates? This is another way of saying, “how do we experience him?”
When we focus on Jesus and the things that he has done for us, we find that our hearts begin to transform. Or as one child put it, “my heart is feeling bigger!” Of course, it’s important we recognize that quickly saying we are thankful for a couple of things is VERY different than actually feeling appreciation.
We need to take our time to appreciate. And remember, we noted that science has shown that being tired and overwhelmed can cause the cortex levels of our brains to diminish in their capacity to function. Interestingly enough, science has also found that focusing on what we are thankful for causes these same areas of the brain to begin functioning again! Basically, we will function better in ALL areas of life.
A worship idea!
Before you head to bed at the end of your day, grab your headphones and device, go outside, look at your view or look at the sky, and play a worship song!
It refocuses your thoughts on God and the stress of the day often feels like it melts away as we focus on the words of the worship song. Need a suggestion to start? Try “Sing to My Heart” by Jeremy Riddle ➔
Alecia and I put this song in our headphones and listened to it in the middle of Time Square in New York City chaos and it was awesome! It was powerful to focus on and feel this worship song as we were standing in the busyness!
The “R” in S.T.A.R.
RESPOND
In Faith & Love, In Obedience
Once we have reconnected to the God of peace, we can receive his heart and direction for the situation(s) we are facing. If we are to live as a follower of Gods Ways and not be controlled by our fears, it also means we must be living the life of the obedient servant. We expand in faith, in love and in obedience!
In some situations, this may mean forgiving and letting go; in other circumstances we may have to confront; in our prayer times, we may have to choose to trust in the Lord, etc.
Whatever direction we receive from Jesus, we now have peace and can respond in faith by obeying and making sure we are always responding with a loving heart. This ensures that we represent Jesus in all our actions and deeds. This is actually a life full of adventure and goes far beyond a religion! This is the Way and it is a great journey.
In responding, we show that we are looking for Jesus to not only be our Saviour, but also our Lord, the leader of our life. This is so important and it is an expected response because of ALL that he has done for us.
Think
Write down in your own journal something that stood out to you, from the reading you just completed.
What is the name given to the tool that can be used to help quiet ourselves?
What are the four steps of the quieting tool? Explain them simply if you can.
Write down two or three examples of when you’ve tried to take control of a situation or “run away.” Try to pick examples that are most recent, if you can.
Do
➔ Spend some time in confession. Confess to your good Father that you sometimes, in pride or fear (or both), try to control your life or others.
➔ Take one of the examples that you wrote down and make it your goal to share it with someone at work today or a family member or someone from your church. Sharing can invite people to walk with you, it can encourage others since we share so many struggles, and helps us go deeper in relationship.
➔ On the internet, go to biblegateway.com. Do a search by typing this in “thank”. How many times is this word or a variation of it used in our Bibles? Read some of the verses out loud.
➔ Can you think of something in your life that is making you very busy, or stressed out, where you can make a change? Spend some time reflecting on this by writing it down, and be assertive in making any necessary changes.