How to Be Still with God When You Feel Overwhelmed and Overstimulated
The Bible talks a lot about resting with God. God says in Psalm 46:10, “Be still and know that I am God!” but how do we do that? How can we be still with God when we are living in a world full of stimulation? It is hard to rest and be still when we are constantly surrounded by noise.
I recently found myself struggling with this, so I started thinking about the concept of overstimulation. I learned that every day, the average person in America takes in 34 GB of information, which is half an iPhone depending on your storage! We hear over 100,000 words a day and spend 12 hours a day consuming various forms of media. We are experiencing an equivalent of 16 movies a day which leads us into decision fatigue because we end up making 35,000 micro-decisions a day. No wonder we are all tired!
How can we hear the voice of God through all that noise? Jesus says in John 10:27 that his sheep hear his voice, but we experience so much stimulation each day that I am not sure we are hearing His voice. Perhaps, the enemy is using all of the noise to keep us overstimulated, to keep us overwhelmed, so we don’t take the time to hear from God.
Perhaps, the enemy is using all of the noise to keep us overstimulated, to keep us overwhelmed, so we don’t take the time to hear from God.
We are in an instant gratification culture and are constantly receiving input, so I am not surprised that we struggle to be still. I used to think that someone who was overstimulated or overwhelmed was experiencing a “crisis” amount of sensory input and that as soon as they backed away, they would get back to baseline. While that is still true, I think we are living in a constant state of being overstimulated and overwhelmed in a “slow burn” kind of way.
Our brains were not meant to receive as much information as we do. While we might not be living at a level 10, we are constantly living at a level 6 when we should be living at a level 2 or 3. If you hold a 50 pound weight, my guess is you would need to set it down fairly quickly because of how heavy it is. However, if you held out a 5 pound weight, you wouldn’t think you need to set it down, but at some point, you are going to start feeling the heaviness.
I think we have been carrying around a 5 pound weight of stimulation thinking that we don’t need to set it down because it isn’t 50 pounds. The problem is, we are no longer able to recognize that it has gotten heavy and that our arms need a break. Maybe it’s time we set down the weight so we can rest. Maybe it’s time to turn down some of the noise so we can rest. Maybe it’s time we get back to a baseline of being still with God and hearing His voice.
In 1 Kings 19, Elijah fled to Sinai so he wouldn’t be killed, and God tells him to go on the mountain so he can experience God’s presence. Verses 11-12 say there was a mighty windstorm, an earthquake, and a fire, but that the Lord was not in those. But then, there was a gentle whisper, and that is where the Lord was.
Sometimes, we wait for God to speak in these big, mighty ways but more often, God wants to speak to us in a gentle whisper! A whisper implies closeness to the other person. God wants to speak to us in a whisper because He wants us to be close enough to hear Him. He wants to be near us.
A whisper implies closeness to the other person. God wants to speak to us in a whisper because He wants us to be close enough to hear Him. He wants to be near us.
This week, I want to challenge you to think about how you spend your time. Are you on your phone a lot? Do you watch a lot of TV? How much are you working? How much are you resting? Do you spend any time being still? As you start to see where the stimulation in your life is coming from, choose one or two ways you can turn down the noise. Watch less TV, set a time limit on Instagram, etc.
Then, to fill that time, I want you to sit still with God. It will be uncomfortable at first, but try it once a day for a whole week and see how it goes. Take some deep breaths, and ask God to speak to you. Here are five verses you can meditate on as you sit in the presence of the Lord:
“Be still and know that I am God!” Psalm 46:10
“The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Exodus 14:14
“Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.’” Matthew 11:28
“Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken.” Psalm 62:5-6
”He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” Psalm 23:2-3
I am praying for your nearness to God. I am praying for your stillness. I am praying for your rest. Remember, it’s okay if you don’t “nail it” right away. It’s going to take time! I hope it helps to know that we are ALL Holy in Progress.
Erica