Graham Kendrick - Do Not Strive Lyrics

Do Not Strive presents a gentle call to surrender control and allow God to work among his people. The opening lines speak in a divine voice, repeating the command not to strive while asking that peace be permitted to reign within the heart. A second movement expands the appeal from an individual response to a shared one, as the singers answer that they will yield, receive God’s peace, and stop struggling.

The command recalls Psalm 46:10, where stillness is joined with recognition of God’s sovereignty. The prayer for peace within the heart also aligns with Philippians 4:7, which describes God’s peace guarding hearts and minds. References to power and glory reinforce the reason for surrender: the work belongs to God, whose character remains unchanged. Through its repeated exchange between invitation and response, the song portrays worship as quiet trust. Its message is not inactivity, but release from anxious self-reliance so that God’s peace and work may take precedence.