“Better is a handful of quietness than two hands full of toil and a striving after wind.” – Ecclesiastes 4:6 (ESV)
I said yes to a global role and told myself I could handle it. Soon, eight-hour days became twelve, then sixteen. Weekends disappeared. I was performing in ministry, showing up for family, and opening my laptop the moment dinner ended. “I’m a night owl,” I told myself. It’s true — my brain sharpens at midnight. But did I nurture a habit of rushing till my brain craved deep quiet?
God gently exposed it. In the quiet of midnight, my mind was clear not because I was built for chaos, but because the noise finally stopped. We are most powerful in quietude. Psalm 46:10 (NIV) says, “Be still, and know that I am God…”
COVID lockdown saved me. The forced pause stripped away travel, meetings, and the illusion that I was indispensable. In that reset, God reminded me: my worth isn’t in output. My strength isn’t in speed. His work in me happens when I stop striving and let Him work through me.
Psalm 23 gives three promises of peace for the weary:
- “He makes me lie down in green pastures.” (Verse 2). God invites us to stop running and be nourished.
- “He leads me beside still waters.” (Verse 2). His presence restores the soul in places of calm, not chaos.
- ‘He prepares a table before me in the presence of my enemies. (Verse 5). Even under pressure, He provides peace that cannot be stolen.
God is calling us away from the rush to rest, and rest isn’t laziness. It’s trust. It’s saying, “Lord, if You don’t build the house, I labour in vain” Psalm 127:1.
Today, choose quietude over noise. Pause for dinner and leave it there. Close the laptop. Put away the phone. Let your soul be still before Him. You’ll find your mind clearer, your heart lighter, and your work more fruitful. Why? Because it flows from rest, not rush.
Prayer
Lord, forgive me for equating busyness with faithfulness. May I never go back to that place. Teach me to rest in You, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Read: Philippians 4:19; Exodus 33:14
Bible Reading Guide: Psalm 68:21-27; John 19:1-27; 1 Samuel 26; 1 Samuel 27; 1 Samuel 28