DAY 17

THE POWER OF STILLNESS

BRIANNA MCDANIEL, THE WOODS CHURCH

The other day, my three-year-old started crying after her bath. She was upset because her eyes were burning, and I assumed she got shampoo in them. After trying to rub her eye with a towel, I sat on the couch and asked if I could see inside. She was very upset and tried to make it better herself by rubbing over and over. But the more she rubbed, the harder she cried and the louder she screamed.

I started to think this was more than shampoo. Again, I gently asked if I could see. She fought me a little, but finally gave me full access. I opened her eye and there it was, an eyelash, as clear as day. She sat very still, staring at me, letting me get it out. No more yelling. No more fighting. She trusted my hands near her eye, felt my gentle breath as I blew, and then I carefully brushed the eyelash out. The pain was gone.

We celebrated with a little dance, blowing the eyelash away. But I didn’t just see an eyelash that day. I saw a little girl who had complete trust in her mom. She wasn’t worried I’d poke her or hurt her more. She knew that if she sat still, I’d make it better.

How many times has my Heavenly Father tried to quiet my anxious heart so He can remove the thing hurting me? Yet I’ve shrunk back in fear. I’ve thought I could fix it on my own, managing fear and anxiety that only dig deeper into my soul, while He patiently waits for me to let Him remove it.

My toddler’s courage didn’t mean she wasn’t scared. It meant she didn’t let fear control her. And that’s exactly what I see in the story of Esther.

Esther had every reason to fear. She was a young Jewish woman who had become queen in a foreign land, a position that came with beauty, honor, and danger. When her cousin Mordecai told her of Haman’s plot to destroy the Jews, her first instinct was to say, “I can’t do anything.” After all, anyone who approached the king uninvited could be killed unless he extended his golden scepter (Esther 4:11).

Mordecai’s response was both sobering and empowering: "And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?" (Esther 4:14)

It was Esther’s eyelash-in-the-eye moment. God was calling her to let Him work through her. But first, she had to stop rubbing at the problem in her own strength. She had to surrender her fear and sit still before Him. She responded with courage, not because the fear disappeared, but because she refused to let fear have the final word. She called her people to fast and pray for three days (Esther 4:15–16). Then she approached the king. And the golden scepter was extended.

Just like my daughter, Esther had to decide: Will I keep trying to fix this myself, making it worse? Or will I trust the hands of the One who sees the bigger picture? Trust doesn’t mean we’ll never be afraid. It means we believe God enough to move forward anyway.

Psalm 56:3 says,

When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.

Notice it says when, not if. Fear will come, but it doesn’t have to take over.

When my daughter sat still so I could remove that eyelash, she didn’t stop being aware of the discomfort, she just trusted me more than she trusted her own instinct to keep rubbing. In the same way, Esther didn’t stop recognizing the danger, she just trusted God more than she trusted her own safety.

Some of us are in the middle of our own “eyelash moments” right now. It may not be as big as saving a nation, or as small as bathtime tears, but it’s still real. Maybe you’ve been:

Trying to fix a broken relationship without ever inviting God into it. Carrying anxiety and fear so tightly that it’s cutting into your spirit. Refusing to forgive because you think it’s the only way to protect yourself. And all the while, God is sitting patiently, saying, “Will you let Me look? Will you let Me handle this?”

He won’t force you to open your heart, but He will wait as long as it takes. When we surrender, when we really stop fighting and let Him near, we find that His touch is gentle, His timing perfect, and His healing complete.

When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. Psalm 56:3

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

And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this? Esther 4:14b

PRAYER: Lord, I confess I’ve been dealing with my own pain and fear, thinking I can fix it myself. Today, I want to stop fighting You and simply be still. Just like Esther, give me courage to trust You even when I’m afraid. Remove what’s hurting me, and replace it with peace. Help me believe that You see the bigger picture and that Your hands are safe. Amen.