be still – Moment to Moment (Bible blog)

Be still

Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth! (Psalm 46:10, ESV)

I was thinking on those words this morning.

They could be a command to the nations to stop all their wars, all their fighting. Many interpreters take it that way.

But as I was thinking on it this morning, it seems to be God’s word to us, his people, who are troubled by all that’s going on in this world.

God’s telling us that he is still in control. That the day is coming when all war and conflict will cease. When at the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow and tongue confess that he is Lord.

And so he tells us, “Cease your fears. Quiet your anxieties. Trust me.”

It reminds me of Jesus calming the storm with a word, saying, “Peace, be still.” And then asking his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

So today, I choose to put away fear and anxiety and to know he is God.

I choose to sing with the psalmist, “God is my refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore I will not fear. He is with me.” (Psalm 46:1-2, 11)

When all is chaos around us

Chaos.

Children screaming. Sick spouses. Deadlines and pressure coming in from all sides.

Sound familiar?

We all face the clamor of life from time to time. And sometimes the whole world seems to be crashing in upon us.

If that weren’t enough, we look at the news and see stories of war and natural disasters occurring left and right. And in the midst of it all, God can get lost.

I don’t mean that God loses his way, of course. But like Peter being faced by the crashing waves when he stepped out of the boat, we lose sight of Jesus. And we start to panic. We start to drown.

What is the Psalmist’s solution to this?

Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth. (Psalm 46:10)

In other words, stop for a moment. Be still. Stop looking at the circumstances around you and look at God for a minute.

Instead of looking at how big the problems around you seem, look at how big God is. And when you do, what will you find?

God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear,
though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging. (Psalm 46:1–3)

As we look around us,

Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall. (6)

And yet,

The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress. (7, 11)

So often, as we focus on our problems, we forget that God is truly in control. That nothing is beyond his power.

He has but to lift his voice, and this world would melt. He has but to say, “enough,” and all war will cease, and all will come to judgment.

So let us be still before God. Quiet our fears. Cease our questions. And see how big our God truly is.

Know that God is within us and we will not fall. That he will help us.

That he has given us the deposit of his Spirit who flows like a river in, through, and out of us, doing his work in our lives and in the world around us.

As we do, he will bring us joy and peace in the midst of any circumstances we may be going through.