The Wholesome Space

Your body is tired, but your mind refuses to rest.

You lie in bed exhausted, yet your thoughts keep racing. One worry turns into another. One problem becomes ten. Before you know it, your mind is carrying burdens you were never meant to hold.

We live in a busy and chaotic world, and if that is not enough, many of us carry even greater chaos within our minds. It is no surprise that so many of us find ourselves stressed, anxious and unable to rest.

But God has not called us into chaos.

He has called us into stillness.

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth.” -Psalm 46:10 (NIV)

Stillness is not just the absence of noise. It is the posture of trust.

Why We Struggle to Be Still

If you read the verses before our previous scripture, the psalmist speaks of the mighty works of God—how He makes wars cease, breaks bows and brings desolation upon the earth.

This is a reminder of His power.

And if this same God can bring peace to nations, why would we think He cannot bring peace to our hearts?

Yet stillness is often one of the hardest things for us.

We worry.

We push.

We strive.

We overthink.

We create plan B, C and D because somewhere deep down, we fear that if God does not come through, we will have to rescue ourselves.

But what if stillness is the very thing God is asking of us?

What Worry Cannot Do

Jesus speaks directly to this in Matthew.

²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? – Matthew 6:27 (NIV)

What has worry ever solved?

What has stress ever added?

Nothing.

Jesus tells us not to worry about our lives—what we will eat, what we will drink, or what we will wear.

And honestly, that is not always easy.

Our minds are designed to think, calculate and problem-solve. We naturally want control.

But Jesus paints us a beautiful picture.

He points to the birds of the air.

They do not sow or reap, yet our Heavenly Father feeds them.

And then He asks:

Are you not much more valuable than they?

What a powerful question.

If God cares for the birds, will He not care for you?

Will He not provide?

Will He not make a way?

Do Not Carry What God Never Asked You To Carry

Stress has become so normal in our generation that many of us have accepted it as part of everyday life.

But our bodies were never designed to carry endless worry.

There is a reason so many people are physically and emotionally worn down.

Stress steals.

Peace restores.

There is a saying many of us know:

Let go and let God.

And truly—why not?

What if surrender is not weakness, but wisdom?

There is power in surrender.

And there is even greater power in surrendering to God.

Seek First His Kingdom

Jesus does not just tell us what not to do.

He also tells us what to do.

³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. -Matthew 6:33 (NIV)

There is the formula.

Instead of worrying about your needs, seek Him.

Seek His kingdom.

Seek His righteousness.

Seek His presence.

This looks like prayer.

Worship.

Studying His Word.

Sitting with Him.

And in doing this, something beautiful happens.

Your perspective shifts.

Your heart aligns.

Your mind quiets.

Because when you seek His face, you begin to trust His hand.

Practising Stillness

I used to find it so difficult to be still.

When I would worry about something—and honestly, sometimes I still do—God would ask me one simple question:

Has your worrying changed anything?

That question always stops me.

Because the truth is, it never has.

What I realised is that I was meditating on the issue.

Without even knowing it, I was exalting the problem.

Instead of worshipping God and meditating on His goodness, I was giving my attention to fear.

And I have learnt this in my walk with God:

What you pay attention to will magnify.

Think about an ugly pimple or boil on your body. Have you noticed how the more you keep checking it, touching it and focusing on it, the bigger it seems to get?

Our problems can be like that too. The more we obsess over them, the bigger they become in our minds. But when we shift our focus from the issue to God and His Word, something changes. His peace becomes louder than our panic, and His truth becomes greater than our fear

And before you know it, the thing that once kept you awake no longer has power over your peace.

How To Be Still

From my own walk with God, here are practical ways I practise stillness:

Find solitude.

Sit somewhere quiet and away from distractions.

Write it down.

Take a pen and paper and write down every anxious thought weighing on your heart.

Surrender it.

Present every burden to your Father.

⁷ Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. -1 Peter 5:7 (NIV)

Let it go.

Sometimes, after I pray, I throw the paper away as a physical act of surrender.

Worship.

Meditate on His Word.

Shift your attention.

Remember: do not exalt your issues. Exalt God.

Trust The Process

One scripture I hold close to my heart is Romans 8:28.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

No matter what chaos the enemy may bring, God can use it for your good.

He wastes nothing.

Not the pain.

Not the delay.

Not the confusion.

Not even the attack.

I often think about Joseph.

What his brothers meant for harm, God turned for good.

That is who our God is.

A Master Strategist!

He knows how to take broken pieces and create purpose from them.

He knows how to take chaos and birth peace.

He knows how to take delay and produce destiny.

Be still

The world may be noisy.

Your thoughts may feel loud.

Life may feel uncertain.

But God has not changed.

He is still faithful.

Still present.

Still sovereign.

Still working.

You do not have to carry everything.

You do not have to figure everything out yourself.

You do not have to force what God has already planned.

Be still.

And know that He is God.