I have had numerous coaching clients of late that are dealing with extremely busy schedules. Their organizations are flourishing, which has led to an increasingly heavy demand on their time. This scenario can feel overwhelming, and personally taxing as a person works to balance their work demands with their personal commitments as well. After all, being a servant leader is a demanding role!

Often times, I get into this situation and I try to become God. I multi-task, stay digitally connected, keep up with news/sports/business blogs, satisfy my clients, track my exercise and calorie intake, monitor my social networks — it’s like I’m trying not to disappoint my clients, my family, and my computer and cell phone all at the same time.

But in Psalm 46:10, God reminds me the position of ‘Lord of My Life’ has already been filled.  He says:

Be still, and know that I am God.

I think the words “Be still” are telling me to slow down, not worry, release my anxiety, and keep my focus on what is most important…. God!

It is very hard and maybe even impossible to “know… God” when our brains and hearts are racing around from this to that and back again.  How often do you see people exercising, driving, or working at their computer with the little white wires connecting their ears and brains to streaming unstillness?

I think God does give us more than we can handle. He does, so we recognize the need to look to the one and only way to handle these situations. Lean on Jesus, his guidance, his wisdom, and his power.

Being still, and spending time with God is where to start when you feel overwhelmed with your work, when things seem like they are reeling out of control. Think about the night before Jesus was executed, He cried out in the garden, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death” (Matthew 26:38). Jesus told His father, “This is too much for me!”

We see this kind of thing in the Psalms, too. The Psalmists shout at God, “Why have you forsaken me?” (Psalm 22) In their sadness they say, “darkness is my closest friend” (Psalm 88).

What these verses teach us is that it’s OK to feel like we can’t handle it, like we are going to give up. We can cry out, “My soul is overwhelmed to the point of death.” And when we do this, we find God—the one who, in the person of Jesus, suffers with us.

So the next time you are feeling overwhelmed, like you have more on your plate than you can handle…Be still, and look to God for guidance on your next steps, your priorities, when to say no, and allow Him to bring a semblance of order to your hectic schedule.

Mark Deterding

The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still. Exodus 14:14