Be Still and Know
Were you ever scared of the dark when you were a kid? Even if you still are, there’s no judgement here – darkness is scary. If you were anything like me, you’d call for your parents and just seeing the shape of your dad walk through the door and tell you it was OK was all that it took to expel the fear – there’s something comforting about knowing you aren’t alone.
Psalm 46 gives us an amazing picture of how God still does this for us today. There are eight words in verse 10 that if we were to cling to would function as a true paradigm shift. “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).
Telling an anxious person to stop being anxious is like telling the sun to stop being bright – it just doesn’t work. What does work is giving an alternative. Telling a worried person to be still can only get you so far. It’s the instruction and the call to practice after the stillness that brings about rest, relief, and peace.
Friend, we live in a crazy, broken world. There’s much of it that’s truly terrifying on its own. Much like a dark room when you’re seven years old. But you’re not staying in your house alone, nor do we live alone in this chaotic world.
There is a God. And He’s intimately interested in you. “The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged” (Deuteronomy 31:8).
What if we actually made choices that showed that we believe these words? Would your life look any different? I remember back to my “scared-in-the-dark” days. I always loved the holidays, for many reasons, but a large one was because I could sleep better. We routinely had extended family staying in guest rooms and that brought me such peace – knowing I wasn’t alone.
I read these verses less of a charge and more of a father talking to his son. Assuring him – it’s going to be OK because I’m right here with you. Spend five minutes in your news app and you’ll see this world is not OK. But God is imploring you, friend, to put your phone down, take a deep breath, and know that He is God.
The Psalmist doesn’t say “be still and remember”, or “be still and think about,” no, he says “be still and know – that I am God.” By walking with this “knowing,” we will practice a constant recognition that God is with us. This, inevitably, brings about peace.
I wonder, is your life revealing you knowing God as the Lord? How much anxiety and worry could be cast aside by knowing this truth. Friend, in a broken and chaotic world, God is calling us to breathe and recognize Him as God. His peace which surpasses understanding will fill us and guard us (Philippians 4). Try this today, find a quiet place, go on a walk, and repeat those eight words as if God was speaking directly to you, “Be still and know that I am God” – friend, you are never alone.
