You Can Pursue God and Still Be Far From Him

“Cease striving and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10a (LSB)

Sometimes our pursuit of peace has very little to do with pursuing God.

Much of today’s mental health advice echoes biblical wisdom—just without God at the center.

• “Slow down the pace of your life.”

• “Create work-life balance.”

• “Be in the moment.”

You see the overlap? Decent advice, but nothing new, mind you. Just restating practical helps.

They can support our physical, emotional, and mental well-being. But what is lost is the spiritual connection we need.

In Killing Sin, Karl Clauson gets to the heart of the matter when he says:

The voice of God is never heard in the clamor of our striving, but God’s whisper is heard at the moment of our complete surrender.

Striving and surrender are being contrasted for one purpose:

To hear God’s voice.

The same voice that spoke everything into existence. The same whisper Elijah heard after the storm. The same voice that brought life to a dead man, Lazarus.

God can do more in our circumstances and hearts with one word than we can do in our spiritual striving. But sometimes, even in our striving to draw near to God, we are striving with hearts burdened by our wants, desires, anxieties, and needs. All of these are rooted in ungodly soils of pride, fear, and selfishness. That isn’t complete surrender.

Total surrender is hands open before God. “Father, I am afraid. Grant me courage as You command.” It is a bowed head acknowledging: “Father, selfish ambition still lives in me. Weed it out of my soul.” It is knees on the ground confessing: “Jesus is Lord. I am not.” But most importantly, surrender is the inward heart posture that sincerely says: “Your will be done.” …and means it! Regardless of the outcome.

Join God in this…

What outcome am I still quietly striving to control instead of surrendering fully to God and asking for his help and outcome?

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Releasing Action

Open your hands physically while praying today and name one desire, fear, or outcome you need to place before God without conditions attached.

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Think this Truth

God’s will is safer than my control.

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Eric preaches, teaches, and serves as a lay elder in his local church and writes regularly at For1Glory.com. He and his wife, Melanie, live in La Crosse, Wisconsin, and have three adult children.