Be Still & Know…

Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! Psalm 46:10

Definition of “Still” (According to Strong’s Concordance): to let drop, abandon, relax, refrain, forsake.

The Lord is calling each of us to be still before Him. Being still is not necessarily about lack of movement, but it is about abandoning our plans. It is refraining from trying to make something happen. It is about letting go of our agenda and resting before the Lord.

Interestingly, in the above verse, being still and knowing the Lord are connected to each other. That means if we want to know God, we need to be willing to be still before Him. We cannot be focused on our plans and agenda, and at the same time, allow the Lord to lead and guide our lives. In addition, We cannot have two masters. Either we are in charge and are calling all the shots, or God is on the throne and He rules over all our affairs.

In this hour, there is much unrest and uncertainty in the world. There is pressure to try to figure things out. On the other hand, it seems as if humanity is on hold. Everyone is watching and waiting to see how things are going to turn out in the next couple of weeks. People are waiting to see when they can get back to their normal lives.

During this past week, I noticed that a sense of restlessness and helplessness can creep in. We are so used to controlling our lives and day-to-day activities, that it is hard not to be in charge. We enjoy planning our lives months in advance and look forward to events or vacations. However, we can’t do them at this point!  Some of us have taken days off from work to spend time with family and friends who are graduating, having a baby, or getting married, but everything has come to a halt. Now we have to change our expectations and stay put!

This is a reminder of how little control we have over our lives, and just because God in His mercy has allowed us to plan our weeks and months ahead of time, it does not mean that we are entitled to it. Instead of being in charge of our activities, we need to remember God’s promises for us. Our peace comes from knowing and remembering who God is for us. Those truths will settle our spirits.

The above scripture is a great reminder that we have the opportunity to the know the Lord better when we remain still before Him. We may feel awkward about being still, but the more we practice it, the easier it gets. As Americans, we are not good at being still, but we can ask the Lord to help us. As we let go of our hopes, disappointments, and expectations, we will get to know the Lord better for who He really is. The fruit of knowing Him is that He will be lifted and exalted by His people, so they world can get to know Him! Lord teach us to be still, so we can know you better!