Being Still

“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 (NKJV)

This is one of the favorite verses of proponents of contemplative Christianity. Those who emphasize divine grace over human efforts delight over the traditional interpretation of the first line of Psalm 46:10. In that understanding, believers are to abandon all religious works and sit in God’s presence. Don’t do anything; only wait on the Lord. In time, you’ll start to hear Him speak to your heart. You’ll become sensitive to the promptings of His Spirit.

If we pay attention to the other two lines of verse 10, we learn a different result. Rather than our growth in the knowledge of God, nations all over the world begin to praise Him. It sounds like a real gospel revival!

So let’s summarize. If we learn how to be still in the Lord’s presence, we grow in our knowledge of Him. As this knowledge spreads, it leads to revivals all around the world.

We can mine the Bible to find verses to support this line of reasoning. But Psalm 46:10 talks about something else. And if we stick to a traditional approach, we’ll miss what the Spirit is telling us.

We know the ancient Jews were the original audience of this psalm. Written by the sons of Korah, it was intended to address some issue or need within the worshipping community. It’s not that the psalm has no relevance for contemporary Christians. Since it’s God’s Word, we know it has great value for us! But if we ponder how the first listeners took in these words, we’ll prepare ourselves to hear what’s on the Lord’s heart.

 The opening verb of verse 10, “be still” is raphah in Hebrew. Based on the form of the verb, it means, “to let drop, abandon, relax, refrain, forsake; to let go; to refrain, let alone; to be quiet.” What are the Jews encouraged to drop? What does God want them to stop doing?

There are hints scattered throughout the psalm. Verse 1 refers to “trouble” while verses 2-3 describe earthquakes and landslides into the sea. Verse 6 mentions national turmoil while verses 8-9 reveal God destroying the war-making abilities of the nations.

You get the picture. Israel was facing natural and international troubles and didn’t know how to respond. Some people trusted God, while others counted on swords and chariots. Fear was in the air.

Psalm 46 assures God’s people that when they face trouble, the Lord will preserve them. They don’t have to fight these battles; God will do it for them. He’s their only hope for victory. They can’t fight earthquakes and the armies of the nations far exceed their own numbers. If Israel is to endure, it will be by the grace of God.

And that’s a lesson that lasts! Through this psalm, God tells us to relax and trust Him. As we do, we deepen our grasp of how great He is. The Lord is God. Many can claim the title, but no one can deliver the goods! 

That God merits our trust derives from His character. We should trust Him because of who He is. But how He protects and delivers us; that’s a mystery until He does it. 

Expect God to do things in unexpected ways! The ultimate example is the cross. No one–not religious scholars, political rulers, or spiritual forces–thought God’s Son would become a man and suffer on a cross. But God honored His humbled Son by resurrecting Him from the dead and granting Him the name above all names (Philippians 2:5-11). All the nations of the world will exalt God through Christ!

We can’t do the Lord’s work for Him, but we don’t have to. The more we depend on God, the more we’re empowered to do what He’s called us to do: share the gospel. The world teems with trouble and turmoil; people have no hope for a solution to their problems. But we can tell them about Jesus who does the impossible. Nothing is too difficult for Him!

God wants us to be still without being statues. He designed us to move but not to fret. Focusing our attention on the good news of Jesus, we fulfill our calling and please Him.