The Quiet Strength That Comes From Trusting God

Be still, and know that I am God. -Psalm 46:10

It seems the more people disappoint me, the more I want to run to God–which is truly a good thing. I know that people will let me down, and sometimes I will let them down. That’s what it means to be human. Sometimes it’s the little cuts that add up, sometimes it’s a dagger that wounds deep. My initial response is to begin laying bricks.

Brick: I will no longer share vulnerable things because people’s judgment is harsh.
Brick: I will no longer be the listening ear because false accusations hurt too much.
Brick: I will no longer go out of my way because the entitlement of others creeps in, then guilt weighs me down.

With every brick stacked, my heart is more protected. I think this is strength—to dig my heels in and keep my heart locked up safe. What it really is, though, is fear. I’m not stacking protection, I’m stacking fear of being hurt again.

Protecting the Heart from Hurt

It’s human nature for people to disappoint, hurt, and fail each other. Maybe we’re all just doing the best we can with what we’ve got. Maybe someone has their own heart to protect, so they sacrifice piercing yours instead. It’s not about deliberately hurting you, but intentionally protecting themselves.

Perhaps this is why Paul tells the Philippians to do nothing of selfish ambition and vain conceit, but to value others above ourselves. To think of others’ feelings above our own. To consider the interests of others, too. (Philippians 2:3-4)

We need to intentionally step outside ourselves to protect the hearts and meet the needs of others. Our first priority isn’t to ourselves, but to each other.

Giving the Hurt to God

When we find ourselves hurt, disappointed, or deeply wounded, we take it to God and allow Him to comfort us with a comfort so great that nothing else compares. He gets it. He understands our pain. It may be justified, it may not be.

The more we run to God with our pain, the more we learn to trust Him. The more we recognize God as our perfect Father, Jesus as our perfect Friend, and Holy Spirit as our perfect Guide, the more deeply we trust. It takes consistency. It takes releasing, and it takes listening. That means opening His Word.

Releasing the Grip of Others

When someone you love and care about seems to be on a path of destruction, it’s hard not to worry. It’s hard not to think there must be something you can do. Sometimes our fear can loom so large that we try to control situations that are out of our control.

We aren’t anyone’s savior. We cannot reach the heart of another human being the way God can. So we need to learn how to release those we love who aren’t walking with Him.

I don’t mean to cut ties; I simply mean to lay down expectations. The one thing we can do that is more powerful than any other action? Pray.

Trust God Through Intercession

Prayer brings down strongholds and sets the captive free. We have the power and authority in Christ to bring down walls, part seas, and move mountains. We just tend to try doing it our way instead of His way. We need to fight in prayer.

What is the difference between prayer and intercession?

Prayer is more of a personal act of worship and intimacy between you and God, for you and God. While intercession is more of a warring kind of prayer for someone else, who either doesn’t have the strength to carry a burden on their own, or they don’t have eyes to see that they’re walking the wrong path. This is where we stand in the gap for them.

Quiet strength comes when we trust God enough to release and surrender people and situations to Him. It’s not stacking bricks to protect ourselves. It takes strength in Him to lay down our will, our way, and our worry and step out of the way.

This is a strength that allows you to live in the freedom of knowing He is working all things for good. It’s a strength that carries a peace that surpasses human understanding. His strength lives in us and produces a joy that lives in us before the morning of victory arrives.

In His Word 

It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in humans. -Psalm 118:8

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. -Romans 15:13

In Your Life

Is there someone in your life who fills your thoughts and prayers and whom you are unable to stop worrying about? Maybe it’s not a single person, but the concept of pleasing people. Both are heavy burdens. Today, surrender them to Jesus. Release your worry, your sense of control, and your need to know.

We Recommend

Read through the book of Ephesians. It helps answer the questions of who we are and how we should live. Living for Christ must come as an overflow of love for Him. Anything less is just legalism. For a deeper understanding, grab this Bible study to guide you.

Let’s Connect

You can find Christin sharing daily reflections to stir your soul here, as well as practical discipleship on her blog. You can also follow her on Instagram and Threads.