When I said those words to Hailey, a light bulb immediately went on in my head. I've been praying to God for direction in a lot of areas lately and to be honest, he's been pretty quiet. I've been getting frustrated at times because I really need to hear from him. I really need to see beyond the "mountains" standing in my way. The thought hit me that maybe he's letting me figure out some of these things on my own. It's not that I think he's not giving me any guidance or direction at all, because he is. I have His Word, which I read daily. And I have the Holy Spirit; that still, small voice that whispers to my heart. I think the problem sometimes is that I'm not being quiet enough to hear it. I think he's not saying anything when, in reality, he could be and I'm the one saying too much to hear him.
We hear the verse in Psalm 46:10 often. "Be still, and know that I am God..." But, what does that mean? What does it mean to "be still" in the context of this verse? I think we need to read the entire Psalm to understand it.
Amplified Bible (AMP)
Psalm 46
To the Chief Musician. [A Psalm] of the sons of Korah, set to treble voices. A song.
1 God is our Refuge and Strength [mighty and impenetrable to temptation], a very present and well-proved help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change and though the mountains be shaken into the midst of the seas,
3 Though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling and tumult. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!
4 There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God will help her right early [at the dawn of the morning].
6 The nations raged, the kingdoms tottered and were moved; He uttered His voice, the earth melted.
7 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our Refuge (our Fortress and High Tower). Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!
8 Come, behold the works of the Lord, Who has wrought desolations and wonders in the earth.
9 He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow into pieces and snaps the spear in two; He burns the chariots in the fire.
10 Let be and be still, and know (recognize and understand) that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations! I will be exalted in the earth!
11 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our Refuge (our High Tower and Stronghold). Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!
I chose the Amplified version because I love how the writer tells us to pause, and calmly think about certain verses. In the face of utter destruction, the writer expressed a quiet confidence in God's ability to save him. God is our refuge even in the face of total destruction. His protection and help are not temporary, they are eternal, and can give us strength in any situation. We are at a very crucial time in history right now. War and destruction are inevitable, but so is God's final victory. What Psalm 46:10 is saying is that at that time, at the time of total destruction and God's final victory, we will all stand quietly before the Lord Almighty. So, we should be still before him now, reverently honoring him and his power and majesty. We need to take time every day to be still and to exalt God. Worship him, praise him, thank him for all he's done for us. Let him have our worries and our fears, knowing that he is indeed God and he is taking care of us.
Twice, the writer says to pause, and calmly think about the fact that the Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our Refuge, our High Tower, and Stronghold. When you really meditate on that, and understand that the God who created our entire universe is with us for all eternity, it is immediately calming. Here, I've been fretting over many situations in my life right now, and I've forgotten to pause, and calmly think about the fact that God really is with me. He doesn't have to say anything to me, he doesn't have to "give me a sign"... he's with me. He already has the victory, which means that I already have the victory.
My Dad always says that when you're worried, you just have to keep breathing and you'll see the deliverance of the Lord. You just have to live a little bit longer to see what's behind that mountain staring you in the face. My Dad has been in the hospital for the past two days. Most of you know that he's been fighting brain cancer for over two years now. He had the worst seizure that he's ever had last Saturday. At first, they thought he was having a stroke because the symptoms were exactly that of a stroke. Even though they haven't ruled out a stroke completely yet (still waiting on test results from yesterday), they are pretty sure that he had a seizure caused by a drop in medication levels in his body. He is doing much better, and hopefully will be able to go home soon.
I live over 3,000 miles away from my family. When I got the phone call on Saturday afternoon that Dad was in the hospital and they didn't know what was happening, I was really scared. It's already been a very trying week, and to be so far away when the worst of it was all going on was really hard, and really frustrating. I had to completely put my trust in God. I sat very still and just listened for His voice. I heard very softly, but strongly, God say that he was with my Daddy and that he was with me. It wasn't until I stopped praying, stopped "talking", and just listened for God with an open heart, that he talked to me.
Sometimes, I find myself just talking and talking and practically begging God to just show me something, anything, to point me in the right direction. Begging him to read me my "treasure map" and figure it all out for me. To make sure that I really am in His will. But if he did that for me all the time, then what would I learn? What I fail to remember is that God will let me know if I'm heading in the wrong direction. If I've stepped outside His will, I'll know it. So, even when it seems like you're stuck, at a standstill, not knowing whether you should turn to the right, or the left, or go straight, or even go back, it may be OK to just stand still. Just be still and know that God is with you. As the psalmist says in verse 10, "Let be and be still, and recognize and understand that God is God." Just let it be. Don't try to change what you can't change. Don't try to do what you can't do. Don't try to go where you can't go. Just be still and wait, and know that God is with you.
I have some pretty big mountains that I'm facing right now. I'm sure most of you do as well. There's a song that I want to leave you with that has become a huge source of encouragement to me this week. To my whole family, actually. It's called Only A Mountain, by Jason Castro. I'm posting the video below.
