*Editor's Note: This is taken from “A Minute of Hope: 100 Intentional Prayers for Times of Challenge and Change” by Cristina Baker. Copyright © 2025 by Cristina Baker. Used by permission of Thomas Nelson.
Did you know that the original Hebrew root of “be still” doesn’t mean “be quiet”? It means “let go.”
Let go and know that He is God. There is freedom in a surrendered heart, and through it, God will move in your life in a mighty way and do what only He can do.
I remember a moment in my life where it seemed like the “night season” would never be over. I walked outside and asked the Lord to help us with an impossible situation in which we knew that if God did not intervene, the curtains would close right in front of us.
I could hear the scripture: “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way” (Psalm 37:23). Immediately in my spirit, I knew that the Lord was trying to get a point across to me. God began to remind me of His faithfulness to my family and me over the years. There was a season where I was practically bedridden for almost nine months, and there wasn't a month where He did not miraculously provide for us.
We never knew how God would sustain us, but as each month passed, there was no denying that we knew that God was not going to let us go, and somehow, someway, He was going to take care of us. This season gave us a revelation of how important it is for us to grow in our relationship with the Lord where we go from believing to knowing.
See, there is a big difference between believing and knowing. The Bible says that even the demons believe, but where does just believing get anyone? When we know something, we begin to live from that place in our hearts. Walking in godly confidence is tangible and rooted in faith.
God wants each of us to go from believing in Him to truly knowing Him. When you know that God has your back, you have nothing to fear, because you know that the Commander of heaven’s armies is with you. Being still and waiting on the Lord is hopeful and expectant, even though you do not know what God will do.
The three Hebrew boys in the fire demonstrated to us what this looks like. These boys were thrown into the furnace but knew that God could deliver them from the fire. Yet still, they declared that even if God did not deliver them, they would not bow down to a false God, even if they perished (Daniel 3:1–30).
What an incredible model for us to remember every day. So no matter what stands in front of you today, when your heart is knit together with the Lord’s, you can never miss what He has for you, because your steps are ordered by Him. When your heart's desire is to love and follow Him, His Word promises that He will make every crooked path straight for you (Proverbs 3:5–6).
Years ago, the Lord spoke deeply into my spirit: If I would give Him preeminence over every part of my life, no matter what came, He would protect my heart.
God didn’t promise that everything would be a bed of roses, but He promised to be with us and that He would never leave or forsake us. Everything in life hinges on our relationship with Jesus, and the words that we pray matter to Him.
Can you imagine that? The God of the entire universe cares about what you say to Him, and He listens attentively to you. This thought alone always sends me into a tailspin of awe and wonder at the goodness and greatness of our God. He is the God who desires to be with us. He wants to dwell with us, to talk to us, and for us to come near to Him. It was His desire from the very beginning. Adam and Eve fellowshipped with God and walked with Him in the cool of the day (Genesis 3:8). Jesus Christ came to restore that garden experience with our Father, and He loves to hear your voice.
Jesus told us that in this world we would have tribulation, but to take heart, because He has overcome the world (John 16:33). What a promise He has given us! Through the years, I have learned that God’s glory and goodness assuredly go hand in hand with the perils, trials, and tribulations that life brings. But here is the good news: As we abide in Him, we are victorious because He holds the victor’s crown! What a hope we have in Jesus! But here is the key: Our hearts need to remain connected to Him, and this happens in communion with Him; it happens when we walk with God, when we talk to God and pray.
