Psalm 46:10-Be still and know that I am God.
A lot of turmoil is expressed in Psalm 46, but when you get to verse ten, you realize that when you know God, there can be a sense of stillness, a sense of tranquility and calm that keep you from going to pieces. That sounds pretty awesome, doesn’t it? Peace instead of going to pieces. My peace is found not in having perfect circumstances but in knowing God.
Is it possible that sometimes we fight against God and subvert His attempts to help us when we refuse to be still? I think of a person who is drowning. No lifeguard can successfully rescue someone who is flailing their arms and kicking and screaming. That person would pull the lifeguard under. It is only when they are still and allow the lifeguard to get a hold of them that they can be supported and taken to safety.
Sometimes, instead of choosing stillness, we struggle to surrender to the God who wants to save us.
If we haven’t made stillness before God and with God a habit, it can be tough to choose stillness when it would make the most difference for us. We need to practice stillness because the busyness of life can drown out the voice of God and if we haven’t cultivated a sensitivity to the voice of God, when the tsunamis hit, when the crisis comes, when the rug is pulled out from underneath us, we will struggle to recognize His voice and presence in our situation. Be still.
God’s invitation to stillness is multi-faceted. It readies us for life’s storms. It calms us in life’s storm. It helps us navigate our way through life’s storms to a better and brighter place.
Be still. In order for us to practice stillness, we are going to need to silence our phones, to step away from the TV, to carve out quiet time to listen to the still small voice of God. In order to be still, we are going to have to stop the constant motion and sit in God’s presence. In order to be still and to be able to hear the still small voice of God, we have to, we have to, get into God’s Word. It has to be a habit. Be still.
Be still AND KNOW that I am God. Knowing God will never be achieved simply by learning information. It will only happen as you seek to experience God fully and exercise faith in response to those experiences. To know God, you have to stop doubting that He is who He says He is. You have to put your trust in God’s Word as a go-to source for truth, inspiration, support, strength, and help.
And knowing God is the foundation from which everything good about life can be experienced and everything bad about life can be endured. Knowing God is what helps you make sense out of things that cannot be fully understood. Knowing God is what keeps you together when everything in your life is falling apart. Knowing God is what moves you through life’s pains instead of getting stuck in a pit that traps and steals the rest of your life from you. Knowing God gives you hope in the darkest of situations.
Knowing God is like living in a constant state of anticipation. What will He be up to? How will He help you? Where will He send you? What will He supply next? It’s like you are always walking around with a smile on your heart because when you know God, you get to see Him in multiple ways throughout your week that are tailor-made just for you. You experience Him in small and big ways that energize you and give you quality of life.
When you know God, you learn why you are here on planet earth. After all, He is the One who made you, and He knows what the plan is for your life. Apart from a relationship with Him, people will never find their life’s purpose and will live, to some degree, frustration and unfulfilled. To know God means to have access to the Source of power that can enable you to become your very best. To know God means to have access to insight that will give you the ability to find your way through challenging times. To know God means to have an ability to persevere under pressure.
To know God means you can tell others about Him from personal experience. I can only introduce people to someone I already know, right? Knowing God changes how we get through our personal challenges and knowing Him gives us an opportunity to help others know Him as well.
Be still. Know. He is God. There is something that happens when we recognize God for Who He is. When we acknowledge God’s sovereign power and presence, we invite Him to be seen and experienced in our circumstances. Imagine being God and being ignored. That is the ultimate disrespect. The ultimate disregard.
God is more powerful than the sun and more expansive than the universe. By His word, He spoke the world into being. My word might get me a double cheeseburger and fries or help with the laundry! Come on, God’s Word gets the miraculous done. He is self-existent. He relies on no one. We couldn’t take a breath without Him. There is no problem He cannot solve. There is no predicament He cannot overturn. There is no person who can overtake Him. He is immutable, never changing. He is omnipresent which means He is here, there and everywhere at the same time. He is perfectly good and perfectly righteous. He can never be corrupted. And this God cares about you and me. He knows our name. He knows our need. He has provided a way for us to know Him. The way is Jesus. We can know this God through Him. Why are so many people forfeiting a chance to know Him?
I want to know Him. I want to experience Him. I want to hear Him. I want to be still and know that He is God.
