It Takes Energy to Do God's Will

“Lord, when doubts fill my mind, when my heart is in turmoil, quiet me
and give me renewed hope and cheer”

(Psalm 94:19 LB)

The fact is it takes energy to do God’s will. What do you do when you run out of energy?

God suggests when we’re feeling uneasy, perhaps low on energy; we should be still and get quiet before Him: “Lord, when doubts fill my mind, when my heart is in turmoil, quiet me and give me renewed hope and cheer” (Psalm 94:19 LB).

But many of us have trouble getting quiet. It’s as if we are afraid of silence; it makes us very uncomfortable. The moment we get in the car, the radio or CD player goes on. The moment we get home, the TV goes on.

Yet, God, in a sense, says, “If you want to lower your stress, it’s as simple as this: Shut up. Be silent. Stop talking and start listening.”

I suggest that once a day you should go out in your backyard, sit down, and just be quiet. I’m not talking about reading your Bible. You ought to read your Bible every day, but I mean get alone for five minutes a day and be completely silent. Ask God a question, and then just sit and listen.

Sometimes we say, “God, I really need your guidance on this,” and then we get up and walk off. We don’t wait for an answer. Could it be the reason we never hear from God is we never listen?

Learn to take little mini-breaks during the day. When you feel your blood pressure rising, stop and say, “God, I want to tune in on you again. I want to focus in on you.” I’m not suggesting thirty minutes of meditation. I’m talking about fifteen or twenty seconds. Just little mini-breaks to stop and be quiet.

Why is this important? Because the race of life is tough and, quite honestly, it’s tough to live God’s plan for your life. It’s important to be still and know He is there.

Here’s an easy formula I use: Divert daily, withdraw weekly, abandon annually. Get quiet once a day, take one day a week to rest, and always take some sort of vacation at least once a year.

Rick Warren