Discover the true meaning of the quote, “cease striving and know that I Am God” in this Summer Homemaking Mornings devotional as we unpack Psalm 46:10 and learn to rest in God’s sovereignty.
“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 (ESV)
Have you ever noticed how quickly we can slip into striving? My mornings start very early around here. Somewhere between 2 am and 3 am, I typically am rolling out of bed and walking into a world still covered in a blanket of darkness.
As mothers, it’s easy to believe that if we just worked a little harder, planned a little better, or controlled a few more details, everything would finally fall into place. We hurry from one task to the next, trying to keep every plate spinning. We worry over our homeschool, schedules, our marriage, finances, and everything in between. We carry the weight of our children’s futures. We convince ourselves that everything depends on us. Even if we don’t verbally acknowledge it, I think if we were being honest, sometimes we are living in a steady and focused ‘rush’ as we strive forward in our days.
But Psalm 46 gives us a very different picture.
This isn’t a gentle invitation to relax for a few minutes.
It’s a command to stop striving.
Welcome to a simple summer morning in our home. We’re going to be making banana bread loaves for my kids, tidying up the house, hanging the laundry out to dry, and making homemade granola, which is actually a new recipe on the website. As always, there is an accompanying blog post transcript where all my resources are laid out for you. Join me today as we chat about an invitation to stop striving. Welcome to Healing Home. I hope you are encouraged and inspired by your time here.
YouTube Quick Links:
This page may contain affiliate links. To view my full affiliate link disclosure, click here. There are Amazon affiliate links in this post. As an Amazon Associate, I make a small commission from Amazon links in this post. Find our privacy policy, terms of service, and more information about user data by visiting the links above.
The World Is Shaking, But God Is Not
Psalm 46 doesn’t begin with peaceful meadows and quiet mornings. It begins with chaos.
The mountains shake. The waters roar. Kingdoms totter. Nations rage. It sounds remarkably similar to the world we live in today. Yet in the middle of all the turmoil, God speaks.
“Be still, and know that I am God.”
The Hebrew word translated be still carries the idea of letting go, ceasing, or stopping the fight. Some translations even render it, “Cease striving.”
God isn’t simply telling His people to take a deep breath. I think he’s telling them to stop acting as though everything depends on their own strength.
The Lord of hosts—the God of Jacob—is already on His throne.
He has never surrendered ultimate control.
Striving Often Reveals Our Desire for Control
If I’m honest, my own striving usually isn’t caused by a busy schedule.
It’s caused by my heart. I’ve actually noticed this in one of my kids as well. He is constantly striving forward to the next thing. He barely enjoys what’s in front of him because he’s already preparing and looking toward the next task at hand. I had talked to him about this for months before I realized that I was actually to blame. God gently tugged at my heart and pointed out that my son had learned this striving behavior from his mother. Before I could guide my son, God had to peel back the layers of my own striving to reveal the sin of hurry that had cast an unhealthy aroma on our home.
I’ve said it many times on this platform, but it bears repeating: we are the emotional thermostat of our homes. Your emotions, striving, and words will guide your family throughout the day.
When I feel the pressure to create the perfect homeschool day, keep the house spotless, answer every email, and make every moment count, I’m often believing something that isn’t true.
I’m believing that everything rests on my shoulders. But Scripture reminds us that my children belong to the Lord before they belong to me. Their salvation is God’s work. Their future is in His hands. Their story is being written by a sovereign Heavenly Father who never makes a mistake.
That doesn’t mean we become passive or careless. We continue to faithfully obey the responsibilities God has given us. But faithful obedience is very different from anxious striving.
But faithful obedience is very different from anxious striving.
Hurry often grows out of fear. Fear that we’ll fall behind. Fear that we’re not enough. Fear that if we let go, everything will unravel. But fear is a poor master.
Our Children Learn Our Pace More Than Our Schedule
One of the greatest lessons we teach our children isn’t found in a book or curriculum. It’s found in the posture of our hearts.
Now obviously the greatest thing we can teach our children is the gospel. We teach them that God created a perfect world, that man sinned, that we need a savior, Christ Jesus was and is that savior, and as John 3:16 declares,
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
I think too often as we go throughout our day we forget to call out gospel moments. We forget to point our families back to the ultimate truth that they need for success in life, and that is the gospel.
Meanwhile, if they constantly see us anxious, hurried, and trying to control every outcome, they’ll learn that life depends on human effort.
But when they see us praying before panicking…
Trusting God when plans change…
Resting in His promises during hard times…
They learn something far greater.
They learn that God is sovereign, and He can be trusted.
Maybe that’s what Psalm 46:10 is inviting us into today. Not simply a slower life. Not merely a quieter schedule. But a surrendered heart. A heart that stops fighting for control and joyfully acknowledges that God alone rules over the whole world.
So today, wherever you find yourself striving, hear God’s invitation once more:
Cease striving. Know that He is God.
He was never asking you to carry the weight of the world. He was only asking you to trust the One who already does.
