STOP!!!

God says through the voice of the Psalmist, “Be still and know that I am God.” (Psa 46:10). Have you ever wondered why or how being still is connected with knowing who God is?

This passage should speak loudly to us in the often insane busyness of so much of contemporary life. To be still is to cease activity. The Hebrew word here translated ‘be still’ comes from the term ‘raphah’. As usual, there are different shades of meaning associated with the word throughout the OT in its various forms, but it refers to something that is slack or allowed to drop. It sometimes is used of those who are disheartened or weak. When used in reference to people, it often has a negative connotation. It is not good to be a slacker or to let things drop.

So then, why would it here be issued as a command, and such an important one?

Again, this is one of those areas where truth flies on two wings. While we are called by God to be strong, we must paradoxically, recognize our weakness. We are to be responsible but the diligence God calls us to, as those made in His image, is always to be kept in perspective, for ultimately, our lives do not depend upon our own ability but upon God’s care. Jesus’ words about worry come to mind.

This is not unlike Paul’s sentiment in 2Cor 12. There Paul recounts how God spoke to him and told him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” To which Paul responds, “That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses… for when I am weak, then I am strong.”

God does not want us to excuse ourselves and neglect our obligations to be strong and to work hard and to fight the good fight. These commands are issued throughout Scripture as well. We must work hard and do our very best with each day He gives us. But, we must always make sure that we are not ‘trusting in the flesh’ but in the grace and power of God in our lives to accomplish what needs to be done. As one person put it, “Personal initiative is no substitute for reliance upon God”.

It is also significant that the context of the entire psalm (46) describes a time in a person’s (actually a nation’s) life when they are totally overwhelmed. Certainly, it can be acknowledged that no matter how diligent and skillful and persistent we are, we are not sufficient for these things.

“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… Be still and know that I am God…”
Psa 46:1-3,10a

For me, the command to be still in this passage points me to a recognition. The recognition that He is God is a necessary reminder to me that I am not. And that is something that I must remind myself of continually. I need to build regular times into my schedule when I simply stop and look up.