“Be still, and know that I am God …”

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth.”

The Lord Almighty is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress.

These verses conclude Psalm 46. Our pastor’s message was centered on this chapter yesterday. It is only 11 verses long but it gave me plenty to think about. That’s one of the many wonderful things about scripture, one passage can have a different impact every time I read it. I believe that is the Holy Spirit working inside of me. The chapter begins with these verses.

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.

The writer of this chapter continues with content that closely resembles what I am reading in the book of Revelation. I know that this world is headed toward a very difficult end. That knowledge can be a bit unsettling, however, I know that God’s will is perfect, so I try not to become overwhelmed.

Know that I am God, and be still!

When Pastor Brett got to the end of the chapter and I read the very familiar command, “Be still, and know that I am God” I thought of how many times I have reminded myself of that command from our Lord.

In the past I put the emphasis on “be still”. I think that because of this, I didn’t experience the Lord’s peace. I cannot force myself to quit thinking or worrying. I can’t just command myself to “be still!”.

However, if I flip the command and put the emphasis on “know that I am God”, that changes everything.

Knowing something engages my mind. I know who God is and what He is capable of because I study His Word. My head knows, but my feelings fluctuate. That is why I cannot command my feelings to be still, but I can stop focusing on my feelings and begin focusing on what I know about God.

Psalm 46 tells me that God is my refuge and strength. Three times in this short chapter we are told that God is with us. I am told that there is a holy city where there is a river of flowing that brings joy to all the inhabitants. And scripture tells me I will be an inhabitant one day. The writer describes God’s power and assures us that it is His plans and purposes that will prevail.

I think as humans we tend to put ourselves in the center of the story, so when we only focus on “be still” that’s exactly what we are doing – relying on our ability to make ourselves calm down. If we take the whole command, we can experience God’s peace. I don’t want to forget this. That’s why I just wrote this blog. 😉