“Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10, NIV

These words rang in my mind as I tried to pray my way out of the worry and guilt. I had taken a situation that was a blessing and a gift from God, the thing that was an answer to prayer, and I’d sullied the experience by trying to insert myself into it and pushing and prodding to ensure that everything would be ideal. But in the process, I’d created annoyance and worry for multiple people, including myself, where before there had been only joy and gratitude. As I grappled with my guilt, this verse rose in my spirit: “Be still and know that I am God.”

I sighed and thought, This is a lesson I’ve learned so many times before…why haven’t I gotten the hang of it yet?

Why is it that sometimes the simplest commands are the most difficult to follow?

Psalm 46 is all about how God will fight for us, beginning with these inspiring and victorious words: “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging” (Psalm 46:1-3).

The Bible is just filled with example after example of God’s trustworthiness…and it’s also filled with flawed humans just like us, who had rock-solid faith one moment and crippling doubt the next.

I thank God that He is not only trustworthy but also exceedingly patient with me. No matter how many times I need to be re-taught that He is God and I am not, He lovingly and patiently does it, guiding me back into the shelter and refuge of His arms.

Heavenly Father, thank you for Your patience with me. Thank you for not only laying out good plans for me but also for being there to hold me when I mess them up. Thank you that You have promised You will fight for us; we need only to be still. Amen.

Copyright Rhapsody Jordan-Parisi.

Rhapsody is a member and high school English teacher from North Carolina. She is passionate about helping struggling teachers strike a balance between success and sanity at her blog, tightropeteaching.com.