February 14, 2022
In Him You Live
Suzanne Eller
Today’s Truth
For in him we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28 NIV).
Friend to Friend
I don’t usually struggle with anxious thoughts, but there it was. Concerned thoughts bubbled just under the surface. Questions pelted like gravel under the body of an old truck.
Am I doing enough?
Am I doing this right?
Thoughts like this can hit any of us at any time. They surface in a marriage or a close relationship. They creep into a job or a ministry position or the moment we take a big step of faith.
There’s a natural rhythm to anxious thoughts. They logically want to take us toward angst.
Luke describes a different rhythm in Acts 17:28.
“For in him we live and move and have our being.”
To move in Him is to move with Him.
This beautiful imagery of rhythm acknowledges that God’s Spirit is in us. Right there.
Even in the midst of those anxious thoughts. He’s aware of your doubts and questions, just as He’s aware of your courage and all the times you’ve trusted Him. Rather than beat yourself up for those thoughts, you are invited to join Him in a waltz of relationship.
When you feel anxious thoughts rising, listen for His voice above all the clatter. Understand that your Heavenly Father desires to lead toward peace, rather than away. Ask the Holy Spirit to remind you of all the times you’ve walked through hard places before, and how God met you there.
As we lean into His strength, we are reminded that God is bigger. We can rest in that truth. As we do, the pressure to perform eases. The pressures to fix, strive, juggle, or make things happen in our timing is reordered to fit His rhythm rather than our own.
We live in rhythm with Him.
We move in rhythm with Him.
We are in rhythm with Him.
In my own season of anxious thoughts, through more than one bout of cancer, I imagined God holding out His hand.
Come with Me, Suzie.
What a beautiful invitation. Not just for me, but for you too.
If anxious thoughts are pelting at you, please know that you are not alone. We all experience that from time to time. This is not the time to beat yourself up for having them, but rather to know that there’s a beautiful invitation waiting just for you. Close your eyes and listen for the underlying rhythm of your relationship with God. Ask Him to meet you in that anxious thought, right where you are. Take a deep breath.
Then lean into the invitation to live, move, and have your being in Him – and see where God wants to take you. Not just in that moment, but for that day, and the next. Your first steps of trust might be shaky but that’s okay. You are joining in rhythm with your Heavenly Father. It’s not about how well you do, but that you have taken His hand.
Let’s Pray
God, worry doesn’t change anything, but it does steal away my well-being. Show me the rhythm of Your thoughts in this matter. Lead me from anxious thoughts to trust. From anxious thoughts to joyfully recalling all the times You’ve walked with me through hard places. Let me move in rhythm with You, In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Now It’s Your Turn
What is one tangible way to sync your heart with God’s? Leave a comment and let’s share. You might give someone else a great idea.
One way I practice this is to listen to a favorite worship song and close my eyes. As I listen for the underlying rhythm, my thoughts calm.
Why don’t you try this? As you do, ask God to sync your thoughts and heart in rhythm with His, one thought and one day at a time.
More from the Girlfriends
One truth is that “God is God, and we are not.” This freeing truth allows us to put down those things that are bigger than us, to trust His leading. Suzie offers practical steps to do just that.
Discover a free 5-day JoyKeeper Bible reading plan for you at Bible.com.
© 2022 by Suzanne Eller. All rights reserved.
Originally published Monday, 14 February 2022.
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