Be Still And Know That I Am God
Psalm 46:10
The entire verse reads: "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!"
This word- "still" means to cease striving. The Amplified Version states it: "Let be and be still". Sometimes the most difficult place for a Christian or a church to be is when nothing seems to be happening. It is a place where it seems like the wind of God's Spirit is not moving. I remembered from my school years a geographical place called The Doldrums. It is situated just north of the equator, encircling the globe. It is where the winds of the northern and southern hemispheres come together. This area had little or no wind and could trap sailors for days, weeks or even months. With no wind to blow into their sails and move their ships, they were stranded. Stories have been told where sometimes these men would literally go insane due to the inactivity they were experiencing. Remember, back then, they had no mechanical way to make their vessel move. They couldn't call for help and be evacuated out of that area. They were entirely dependant upon the wind to blow into their sails and so navigate their ship.
Many Christians and/or churches today are in this area: a place where there is NO Wind! Nothing seems to be going on. It seems like the Church is in The Doldrums. The wind of God does not seem to be moving like we would like to see it move. Things are not happening like they have in the past. We are not seeing the miracles, healings and salvations that we feel we should see or that we have seen in the past. Things are not like they used to be. It is then that we take things into our own hands and fill up the void with our own ideas and plans.
When we are at a standstill it could drive us insane! Or at the least zap us of all of our energy, strength and peace. We are a people who equate ACTIVITY with SPIRITUALITY. In other words, we judge others and ourselves by how busy we are! Look, see how much I am accomplishing for the Lord- 3 prayer meetings a week, 6 outreaches, 2 Bible Studies, Youth meetings, Sunday School meetings, plus the "normal" Sunday and midweek Church services. Look at how spiritual I am! All this activity DOES NOT = SPIRITUALITY. Though each one of these activities is good in themselves and may produce fruit- it doesn't necessarily mean we are to be involved in all of them. We become so active doing the "Lord's Work", but then have no time or energy for prayer and intercession and our quiet time with the Lord. We come to a place where we never talk to the One for Whom we are "working".
God many times puts us into The Doldrums- those areas throughout our lives when no matter how hard we try, or what we do--we don't seem to get anywhere! It could be God is speaking to you and calling you into a higher place of "activity"-time spent around His throne- time spent listening to Him instead of "doing" for Him. There is a difference. It seems when we get into this area of "no activity" that we think we are a failure. It may seem like we are doing nothing for God because we can't see with our natural eyes what is really taking place.
Sometimes we just have to sit and wait in The Doldrums and wait for the Spirit to blow on our lives again. It is not a bad place. It can work out for our good. In fact, that is why God put us there in the first place. We have all heard the phrase of finding our peace in the middle of the storm. We also need to find our peace in the middle of the calmness-the stillness, the inactivity. It is said that it is during the winter that the trees put down their roots even deeper. It is during that time that they are rejuvenated. We need those times in our lives- The Doldrums, the winter, the stillness and the times of inactivity.
Read the entire chapter of Psalm 46. You will see rather quickly that the subject of this chapter is not "us", "the church" or any particular person. The subject is God Himself. There is a lot of "activity" going on here but interwoven throughout that are areas of "quietness", "calmness" and "stillness". God is doing the activity and we are reaping the benefits. It begins right off the bat with God--He is our refuge and strength, our "present" help in trouble. It goes on to say that "Therefore we will not fear"-- sometimes we have to will ourselves to not fear. No matter what is going on around us, we need to will ourselves to not fear! The Psalm then goes on about all the things that are taking place in the earth. Many of these things are happening even today in the natural AND in the spiritual as God is showing Himself! He is being exalted if we should but look and listen with our spiritual eyes and ears.
Verses 4 and 5 talk about us- God's tabernacle- His church-we are made glad by the streams that flow from the river of God. God is in the middle of His church. He is not only our refuge--our fortress and our hiding place--but--He is in the middle of us! We not only hide in Him but He is in us!! Now tell me, how can we go wrong when we trust in Jesus Christ! There is no way!
Verse 6 states that while the nations raged-the kingdoms moved and that when God uttered His voice- the earth melted. You can't get much better than that! And how many times has God spoke something to your heart and you just melted? When God speaks you know it and you just melt in His presence.
Verse 7 once again states that God is our refuge and also the LORD of hosts is with us! Verse 8 and 9 go on into a lot of God's activity-He makes desolations, He makes wars cease, He destroys the weapons of the enemy and He burns their chariots with fire!
Verse 10 takes us into that "stillness"--"Be still and know that I am God." Sometimes all we can do is stand still. Ephesians 6:13 tells us that after we have taken the entire armor of God to stand in the evil day- that "having done all, to stand." When the Israelites were trapped by Pharaoh and his army at the Red Sea- Moses told the people in Exodus 14:13 to "stand still and see the salvation of the Lord." Standing still is a GOOD THING when we are standing in the Presence of the Lord.
This chapter ends up like it started, by telling us that the LORD of hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our refuge. It is a chapter of hope and excitement! It is not one of fear and trembling-only for those who are not hidden with Christ in God.
Stand still--Be still and know--- that He is God.
Maybe you are in The Doldrums spiritually. There is no wind in your sails. You seem dead in the water. There is nothing to do but wait. You can do one of two things. You can try to paddle to shore on your own- using all your strength, energy and every available prop you can find- and probably capsize your vessel in the process. Or you can quietly wait upon the Lord to do what He wants to do in you and waiting on the Lord to blow His Spirit into your sails once again. Making it to shore on your own without God is not worth it. I would rather wait in The Doldrums until the Lord is ready to blow His Spirit upon my life and then move once more in His will and His way. This place of stillness before God could very well be the most important and productive time our lives. Let's not waste the opportunity to get to know God better. It is in those times of stillness and inactivity that we draw closer to God through prayer, reading, studying and meditating on God's word. We gain new strength, new insight into His ways and new revelations of Who He is. There still will be the opportunity to witness to others about the love of Jesus Christ. There will still be opportunities to do what God wants us to do. We should never be in a place of complete listlessness and idleness in God. But during those "special" times of being separated and pulled away from all the activity of the world, we should do our best to spend it in prayer and communion with the Lord.
Be still and know that He is God-in whatever situation you find yourself in, whatever dry or unproductive time you are experiencing. It is from God and it is for a purpose--to make us more into His image.
Be still and know that He is God.
The entire verse reads: "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!"
This word- "still" means to cease striving. The Amplified Version states it: "Let be and be still". Sometimes the most difficult place for a Christian or a church to be is when nothing seems to be happening. It is a place where it seems like the wind of God's Spirit is not moving. I remembered from my school years a geographical place called The Doldrums. It is situated just north of the equator, encircling the globe. It is where the winds of the northern and southern hemispheres come together. This area had little or no wind and could trap sailors for days, weeks or even months. With no wind to blow into their sails and move their ships, they were stranded. Stories have been told where sometimes these men would literally go insane due to the inactivity they were experiencing. Remember, back then, they had no mechanical way to make their vessel move. They couldn't call for help and be evacuated out of that area. They were entirely dependant upon the wind to blow into their sails and so navigate their ship.
Many Christians and/or churches today are in this area: a place where there is NO Wind! Nothing seems to be going on. It seems like the Church is in The Doldrums. The wind of God does not seem to be moving like we would like to see it move. Things are not happening like they have in the past. We are not seeing the miracles, healings and salvations that we feel we should see or that we have seen in the past. Things are not like they used to be. It is then that we take things into our own hands and fill up the void with our own ideas and plans.
When we are at a standstill it could drive us insane! Or at the least zap us of all of our energy, strength and peace. We are a people who equate ACTIVITY with SPIRITUALITY. In other words, we judge others and ourselves by how busy we are! Look, see how much I am accomplishing for the Lord- 3 prayer meetings a week, 6 outreaches, 2 Bible Studies, Youth meetings, Sunday School meetings, plus the "normal" Sunday and midweek Church services. Look at how spiritual I am! All this activity DOES NOT = SPIRITUALITY. Though each one of these activities is good in themselves and may produce fruit- it doesn't necessarily mean we are to be involved in all of them. We become so active doing the "Lord's Work", but then have no time or energy for prayer and intercession and our quiet time with the Lord. We come to a place where we never talk to the One for Whom we are "working".
God many times puts us into The Doldrums- those areas throughout our lives when no matter how hard we try, or what we do--we don't seem to get anywhere! It could be God is speaking to you and calling you into a higher place of "activity"-time spent around His throne- time spent listening to Him instead of "doing" for Him. There is a difference. It seems when we get into this area of "no activity" that we think we are a failure. It may seem like we are doing nothing for God because we can't see with our natural eyes what is really taking place.
Sometimes we just have to sit and wait in The Doldrums and wait for the Spirit to blow on our lives again. It is not a bad place. It can work out for our good. In fact, that is why God put us there in the first place. We have all heard the phrase of finding our peace in the middle of the storm. We also need to find our peace in the middle of the calmness-the stillness, the inactivity. It is said that it is during the winter that the trees put down their roots even deeper. It is during that time that they are rejuvenated. We need those times in our lives- The Doldrums, the winter, the stillness and the times of inactivity.
Read the entire chapter of Psalm 46. You will see rather quickly that the subject of this chapter is not "us", "the church" or any particular person. The subject is God Himself. There is a lot of "activity" going on here but interwoven throughout that are areas of "quietness", "calmness" and "stillness". God is doing the activity and we are reaping the benefits. It begins right off the bat with God--He is our refuge and strength, our "present" help in trouble. It goes on to say that "Therefore we will not fear"-- sometimes we have to will ourselves to not fear. No matter what is going on around us, we need to will ourselves to not fear! The Psalm then goes on about all the things that are taking place in the earth. Many of these things are happening even today in the natural AND in the spiritual as God is showing Himself! He is being exalted if we should but look and listen with our spiritual eyes and ears.
Verses 4 and 5 talk about us- God's tabernacle- His church-we are made glad by the streams that flow from the river of God. God is in the middle of His church. He is not only our refuge--our fortress and our hiding place--but--He is in the middle of us! We not only hide in Him but He is in us!! Now tell me, how can we go wrong when we trust in Jesus Christ! There is no way!
Verse 6 states that while the nations raged-the kingdoms moved and that when God uttered His voice- the earth melted. You can't get much better than that! And how many times has God spoke something to your heart and you just melted? When God speaks you know it and you just melt in His presence.
Verse 7 once again states that God is our refuge and also the LORD of hosts is with us! Verse 8 and 9 go on into a lot of God's activity-He makes desolations, He makes wars cease, He destroys the weapons of the enemy and He burns their chariots with fire!
Verse 10 takes us into that "stillness"--"Be still and know that I am God." Sometimes all we can do is stand still. Ephesians 6:13 tells us that after we have taken the entire armor of God to stand in the evil day- that "having done all, to stand." When the Israelites were trapped by Pharaoh and his army at the Red Sea- Moses told the people in Exodus 14:13 to "stand still and see the salvation of the Lord." Standing still is a GOOD THING when we are standing in the Presence of the Lord.
This chapter ends up like it started, by telling us that the LORD of hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our refuge. It is a chapter of hope and excitement! It is not one of fear and trembling-only for those who are not hidden with Christ in God.
Stand still--Be still and know--- that He is God.
Maybe you are in The Doldrums spiritually. There is no wind in your sails. You seem dead in the water. There is nothing to do but wait. You can do one of two things. You can try to paddle to shore on your own- using all your strength, energy and every available prop you can find- and probably capsize your vessel in the process. Or you can quietly wait upon the Lord to do what He wants to do in you and waiting on the Lord to blow His Spirit into your sails once again. Making it to shore on your own without God is not worth it. I would rather wait in The Doldrums until the Lord is ready to blow His Spirit upon my life and then move once more in His will and His way. This place of stillness before God could very well be the most important and productive time our lives. Let's not waste the opportunity to get to know God better. It is in those times of stillness and inactivity that we draw closer to God through prayer, reading, studying and meditating on God's word. We gain new strength, new insight into His ways and new revelations of Who He is. There still will be the opportunity to witness to others about the love of Jesus Christ. There will still be opportunities to do what God wants us to do. We should never be in a place of complete listlessness and idleness in God. But during those "special" times of being separated and pulled away from all the activity of the world, we should do our best to spend it in prayer and communion with the Lord.
Be still and know that He is God-in whatever situation you find yourself in, whatever dry or unproductive time you are experiencing. It is from God and it is for a purpose--to make us more into His image.
Be still and know that He is God.
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