My church began the year 2024 with a series titled “Pause - From Rushing to Resting.” This series reminded us to pause and spend time with God first as the new year began. Instead of rushing into all the plans we had made for ourselves for the new year, we were reminded to rest in God first so that we could be rejuvenated to do the work that He wanted us to accomplish.
The series kicked off with a message on creating a sacred space with intentionality and this really resonated with me. One of the points our pastor made was that creating this sacred space would allow us to be reminded of our calling. Over the coming weeks, I decided to dedicate my mornings to just be with God and spend time in prayer and meditation. It was during this period that I was reminded of my own calling to write songs that glorify God. I had written a few songs while I was in college but had neglected the gift for many years. About 8 years after I completed college, I went to seminary and took a spiritual life course where I wrote a lengthy paper on my life vision. After much introspection, I had concluded that God had called me to write songs as one of the ministry areas for my life.
But even after being reminded of this calling in seminary, I neglected to do anything serious about it. After having kids and getting back into the workforce, life got quite busy. I had built a very successful career and things seemed to be going well for me from a worldly perspective, but I started to see that there were areas in my life where I really needed to experience God move.
So, at the beginning of 2023, I decided to take a few weeks to dedicate to prayer and fasting for the first time in my life and, during that time, I felt God calling me to switch to part-time work to focus more on my family. It was a tough decision but I ultimately I decided to obey His voice. Fast-forward to the beginning of 2024 and I decided to do the same thing again: dedicate the first few weeks of my year to God in fasting and prayer. When you start hearing His voice, you can’t get enough, even when His revelations are challenging. This time, I felt God telling me to focus on more than just my family in this season. He reminded me of my calling and that He had set up the circumstances for me to find time to work on writing songs. The week after I completed my prayers, I ended up writing my first song in about 20 years.
Later, in the summer of 2024, as I was reflecting on my life journey so far and thinking more seriously about writing a song related to the first sermon series of the year at our church, the Holy Spirit gave me the first line of this song: I was running in circles, chasing all the things of this world. I’ve come to realize that all the things that this world has to offer us will still leave us empty. As the author of Ecclesiastes reminds us, all of man’s striving in the world is just vanity - smoke.
Still, we are often enticed by the world and told that working hard and efficiently will take us to the top of the ladder and make us feel fulfilled and happy. We are inundated today with self-help books, life hacks, productivity tools, apps and podcasts to maximize our time and efficiency so we can reach this state. I, too, had taken the bait. Reflecting on this, the second line of the song came to mind: I was looking for answers in every place except for Your Word.
With all this striving and attempting to maximize our lives in the shortest possible time, a common result for many today who are caught up in this cycle is burnout. Again, I had felt the effects of this myself. I was growing so weary.
What I love about God is that even in the midst of our busy lives away from Him, His love still finds us wherever we are. He still cares about us. He puts us in circumstances and puts people in our path to lead us back to Him and to the calling that He has for us. For me, it was over 20 years of taking a break from songwriting before God gently led me back to pick it up again. God is patient with us. It’s never too late to walk in your calling. His loving arms are always ready to receive you. He’ll find you wherever you are. But still Your love found me.
True peace, fulfillment and joy come only from God alone. No amount of personal striving can attain this. We don’t need to wear ourselves out chasing the next big thing. We can be still in His presence because we can trust in His providence and sovereignty. What do you need rest from in your life today? Are you tired from fighting a long battle in some area of your life? Exodus 14:14 reminds us, “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” God will deliver you. Are you growing weary waiting on an answer that seems to be taking forever? Are you striving hard to get to the top only to see others get ahead of you? Our generation has so much fear of missing out. Psalm 37:7 reminds us, “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.” Trust God with His timing for you. He’s preparing something great for you. Are you worried because of all the chaos around you? Psalm 46:10 reminds us, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Our God is sovereign over all the circumstances that we face in our lives. We can find refuge in Him. Stay close to Him and watch Him do amazing things in your life. Be still and know that You are God.
The chorus repeats the line about being still over and over because we are so prone to forget this! The first three lines are God so gently reminding us that He’s got things under control: You told me to be still and know that You are God. And the last line of the chorus is the response of one who is obedient: I’ll be still and know that You are God.
While the first stanza reveals the state of a life lived apart from close fellowship with God, the second stanza looks at the opposite: a life lived in total dependence on God. In this way of life, we turn to God in every situation we face, both small and great because we are living in close connection with Him. Now I’m running to You Lord in every situation I face.
Why do we run to God? It’s because He is our refuge and strength. Just as a baby depends on his parents for his every need or when he’s in trouble, so we too should turn to God with that same child-like attitude. We see this mindset in the Psalms and in Proverbs. Proverbs 18:10 says, “The name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.” Psalm 91:2 declares, “I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.” Psalm 46:1 also reminds us, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” Your name is a refuge; I run to You and know that I’m safe.
Being still and waiting on God is like being plugged into a power source to recharge. As we do this, we can experience His power and strength in our lives. We won’t grow weary. The Bible reminds us of this fact in Isaiah 40:31, “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” Now I’m no longer weary.
When my kids were very young, they were scared of the dark when they were alone. But if I was with them, their fear subsided and they no longer felt anxious about it. Even though the situation didn’t change for them (it was still dark), the knowledge that I was with them allowed them to calm down and relax. This is how we can feel about God also. Psalm 125:2 reminds us, “As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people both now and forevermore.” Knowing that our God surrounds us can allow us also to calm down, relax and not grow weary in our anxiety and our striving. I know You surround me.
The bridge for this song provides a closer look into this transformed life. Instead of rushing and trying to race the clock of life, we can enjoy rest as we stay close to God in the shadow of His wings. We see this in Psalm 91:1 and 4, “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty; He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge.” I went from rushing to resting in the shadow of Your wings.
When you stay close to God, not only will you find refuge and safety in God, you will also experience contentment. No matter how much the world has to offer, it’s only God’s love that can fill the hole in your heart. I found all I need is Your love.
As you soak in God’s love, you can also experience God’s everlasting joy (Isaiah 51:11 - Those the Lord has rescued will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.) and His indescribable peace (Philippians 4:7 - And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.). You gave me joy everlasting, peace beyond understanding.
My prayer is that this song inspires you to deepen your relationship to Jesus, walking closely with Him and trusting Him in every aspect of your daily life.
Full Lyrics
Stanza 1:
I was running in circles
Chasing all the things of this world
I was looking for answers
In every place except for Your Word
I was growing so weary
But still Your love found me
You told me to
Chorus:
Be still and know that You are God
Be still and know that You are God
Be still and know that You are God
I’ll be still and know that You are God
Stanza 2:
Now I’m running to You Lord
In every situation I face
Your Name is a refuge
I run to You and know that I’m safe
Now I’m no longer weary
I know You surround me
You taught me to
Bridge:
I went from rushing to resting
In the shadow of Your wings
I found all I need is Your love
You gave me joy everlasting
Peace beyond understanding
Showed me all I had to do was