He gave it all for you...

          Last week I mentioned that there was more than one song entitled “Be Still” that was ministering to me. I shared the version then sung by Travis Greene but this week I am going to share the other one that really got my attention: “Be Still” by Bethel Music and sung by Steffany Gretzinger. 
         For me the main thread throughout the entire song are the words: “‘Cause You gave it all for me…” When I hear these words it brings to my mind a vivid picture of what Jesus went through for us … for me.
          Recently, I shared with some students the story of the crucifixion. I was teaching a Religious Instruction class at school and I started sharing with them Jesus’ journey to the cross. I felt led to paint as vivid a picture as possible of all the pain and suffering Jesus had gone through some two thousand years or so ago. I spoke about His rejection by His own people, the Jews, His betrayal by them, the horrific treatment He received at the hands of the Roman soldiers who were simply doing their job believing Him to be a criminal worthy of the worst punishment. And yet, in spite of all that Jesus went through, the reality was that He still chose to allow Himself to be killed, to die for the very Jews responsible for putting Him in that position, for the very soldiers who beat Him and who pierced His hands and feet with nails as they fastened Him to a cross. In spite of all of that, Jesus still loves us…
          The first verse of the song says:
          Be still my heart and know, You are God alone
          Stop thinking so much, and just let go
          Be still my soul and rest, humbly I confess
​          In my weakness, Your strength is perfect
Let’s face it, we all go through situations that disturb and discourage us. Sometimes, we are doing the best we can but nothing seems to be going the way we would like it to. Worry and fear step in and it may feel as if everything is spiralling out of control. Yet, according to the lines of the verse, sometimes we just have to speak to and encourage ourselves. Sometimes we just need to remind ourselves that this problem is too big for us so we may as well just give it God. 
         The sad reality is that the more tightly we hold on to the problem, the more stressed and discouraged we become. Yes, it is difficult to let it all go, I should know because I struggle with letting go time and again. But, I am also learning to ask God to help me let go what I need to let go. And, the encouraging things is, we may be weak and totally incapable of handling the situation but God isn’t! In fact, His strength has the opportunity to show out even more in the face of our weakness. There is nothing wrong with being and feeling weak and helpless. The problem comes when we know it but still unnecessarily stress ourselves out trying to fix things. I am truly learning to just rest in Him. As problems rear their ugly heads, I am learning to just admit that I can’t do this and that it’s God’s battle not mine … and I give it to Him.
         The chorus says:
         For You alone are God, there will be no other
         And You have won my heart, more than any other
         So I will give it all, 'cause You gave it all for me
God is God all by Himself and we need Him way more than He needs us. There is nothing or no one that can compare to Him (Isaiah 45:5). He is God and God alone. We love Him because He first loved us (1 John 4:19) and because He gave His all for us, we can give everything to Him - both the good and the bad. It can be really difficult to give ourselves completely. It is already difficult to give Him our problems but, giving ourselves completely to Him can be just as tough. Yet, when we hold ourselves back, we are missing out on all the beautiful things He has in store for us. 
    I am reminded of a picture I saw once of a little girl holding a tiny teddy bear in her hands. Jesus is kneeling in front of her asking her to give it to Him but she refuses while holding tightly to her bear. What she can’t see, however, is that with His other hand, He is holding a much larger teddy bear behind His back. 
    We usually can’t see the good things God has in store for us. All He wants us to do is to trust Him, to trust that if we surrender ourselves and all that we are holding on to, if we give it all to Him, what He has for us is so much bigger, so much better, so much more beautiful than anything we may be holding on to. God always wants the best for us and He already has it. He has already given His all, even His very life so that He could give us His best - eternal life. He gave His all for you, He gave His all for me … there is no way we can lose by giving our all to Him! Trust Him today.
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so now. When you invite Jesus into your life you are positioning yourself to receive His very best for you. After all, no good thing will He withhold from you His child (Psalm 84:11b).

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