Don't Just Do Something - Stand Still

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A national restaurant chain turns the sign to closed

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every single Sunday. On purpose. In the seven-day hustle world,

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Chick-fil-A's founder, S. Truett Cathy, decided back in 1946 to

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give his team a day of rest and worship if they choose, and the

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company still does it today. That's a countercultural choice

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to do nothing when everything around you says, do more. Why

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would a business leave that kind of money on the table?

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Welcome to Daily Devotions for Busy Lives. I'm Bart Leger, and

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today we're talking about those moments when everything in you

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wants to jump in, fix the problem, force an answer, or

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take control. But God says, stand still. That's a hard

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command for most of us, especially in a world that

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rewards action and productivity. But sometimes, acting too

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quickly is the very thing that keeps us from seeing what God

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wants to do in our lives. Exodus 14, verses 52 to 54, Jesus tells

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Peter, put away your sword. Don't you realize that I could

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ask my Father for thousands of angels? But if I did, how would

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the scriptures be fulfilled? Both moments show us something

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powerful. Sometimes, God's will unfolds, not when we move, but

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when we stop moving. Have you ever noticed how uncomfortable

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stillness can be? We want to do something, anything, to feel

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like we're making progress. For some of you, the minute a

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problem hits your life, you go straight into fix-it mode. I

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know that's me. Others tend to rush in and defend themselves,

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try to control outcomes, or take matters into their own hands.

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And honestly, sometimes that impulse comes from fear, not

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faith. That's exactly what's happening with Israel at the Red

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Sea. They saw the water in front of them, Pharaoh's army behind

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them, and panic set in. But God's word to them wasn't run

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faster or fight harder. It was counterintuitive. It was stand

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still and watch. In other words, let me do what only I can do.

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And we see the same thing with Peter. Peter, his instinct was

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to swing a sword. Jesus was being arrested, and this felt

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like the moment to fight. But Jesus stopped him, because

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acting out of fear would have actually gotten in the way of

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God's plan. Sometimes the hardest leap of faith is the

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decision not to act before God speaks. This is where

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Chick-fil-A's story comes back in. In a world that says, open

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seven days, profit every hour, they made the choice decades ago

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to rest, worship, and trust. And that weekly discipline

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communicates something deeper than business strategy. It tells

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their employees, their communities, and, I believe, the

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watching world, God's way is enough, even when it doesn't

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make sense on paper. And here's the rest. The policy hasn't

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budged. Even in airports and stadiums, and analysts estimate

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it costs well over $1 billion in sales every year. Even so,

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Chick-fil-A keeps the doors shut on Sundays because of a

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conviction deeper than profit. People need rest. And worship

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matters. Decades later, the brand remains remarkably strong

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while holding that line. As a testament to that, Chick-fil-A,

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according to 2025 reports based on 2024 data, ranks in overall

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fast food revenues behind McDonald's and Starbucks at the

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time of this recording. It has over $22. 7 billion in sales and

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is the number one fast food chicken chain. Chick-fil-A also

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has higher per-store sales than its competitors. fight for you

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is the best choice. Maybe today, your situation is calling for

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that same kind of faith. Faith that doesn't rush it or force it,

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but says, Lord, you go first. I'll wait right here until you

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lead. And here's today's challenge. Think of one

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situation in your life where your first instinct is to take

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control. And instead, pause. Pray. Ask God, is this a moment

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to move? Or, a moment to stand still. And then, give Him space

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to fight for you. Lord, You know how quickly we want to take

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matters into our own hands. Teach us to recognize the

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moments when You are calling us to wait. us peace in the

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stillness and courage in the silence and confidence that You

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are working even when we can't see it. Fight for us today and

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help us follow Your timing. In Jesus' name, amen. If this

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episode encouraged you, chances are it'll encourage someone you

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care about too. So, please, share it with a friend or a

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loved one. Just copy the link in the show notes and send it their

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way. You never know how much they might need it today. And

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thanks for helping me spread the word. It really does mean the

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world to me. Thanks for joining me today on Daily Devotions for

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Busy Lives. Remember, sometimes the most faithful thing you can

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do is stand still and trust God's timing. Come back next

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time for more encouragement to help you live grounded in God's

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truth. Until then, God bless and have a great day.