There is something very profound within these two simple words. In our daily life, we sometimes forget to breathe. To relax and enjoy what we have. We get too busy with entertainment, family, errands, friends, work, and life. God simply tells us...be still and know that I am God.
We make poor decisions without the time to think, we are rash in our judgments, speak poorly to others out of our need to always be on the run. We can not take the time to think about our actions before we take them. We do not take the time to find counsel and wisdom in this society that demands an immediate response and even quicker actions. Where do we find the time to rest and be still when the demand for constant movement is ingrained in our very society?
And yet we hear the words...be still. It comes from above, a greater source than our own. It demands a different kind of action, an action of silence and reflection. Something that is foreign to us, as it goes against our very own human nature.
And then we see everything that goes wrong in our world and it frustrates us. We feel the pain that people suffer. How can we be still? We demand of God that being still will not solve anything. We make the demands because we see the problems that are happening around us, hurricanes, forest fires, earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions. Why are we just unable to see that God is bigger than this?
Psalm 46:1-3 states:
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 (hurricanes and tsunamis)
and the mountains quake with their surging. (earthquakes and volcanic eruptions)
And yet, through all of this, in verse 10, it simply says, "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the Earth."
Our God is bigger than everything that is going on. He knows about natural disasters, He understands the stress of life. And yet...what he demands of us is simple. Be still... Not in a fashion of laziness or idleness but to seek Him first and His presence. Something we don't seem to have time for.
God simply wants us to dwell in His presence, in His holy place (verse 4). God is bigger than all that is going on. He holds all wisdom, all knowledge, all power. If we can only take our time to see this, to seek Him in the midst of life and the stress associated with it, then we can start to understand. God wants a relationship with us, He wants us to know that He is there and He cares for us (verse 1).
But, for one day of the week, for a short time of our life, we need to recognize this one thing. To make our own Sabbath and set it aside for God. So we can reflect and understand what it means to be still.
To breathe...
To relax...
To close your mind to all the noise that the world is creating.
Dwell in God's presence.
And know that He is God and in complete control.
