Be Still and Know that I am God

This well known, and oft quoted verse from Psalm 46 is one of my favorites.

But, as studied this passage, I learned something that I previously did not understand about this particular verse.

See, we have the tendency to see this word from God as an invitation.

We might see it as a picture of a mother holding a distraught child close to her breast, rocking gently, whispering softly in her child’s ear, “Be still, child.

Be still; Mommy’s got you.

You’re okay.

Be still.”

And I want you to know;

God does that.

He loves to pull His children close;

to wrap them in His safe embrace.

To whisper peace and comfort into troubled minds and hearts and souls.

But in the context of this chapter,

these words are not spoken as an invitation,

they are spoken as an imperative;

as a command.

Be still!!

This is what David Guzik shares in his Bible commentary,

“The idea is something like this:

“As you know the glory and greatness of God, stop your mouth from arguing with Him or opposing Him. Simply surrender.”

And he shares two quotes that I found particularly relevant,

“Be still…is not in the first place, comfort for the harassed but a rebuke to a restless and turbulent world: ‘Quiet!’ – in fact, ‘Leave off!’” (Kidner)

“In this setting, ‘be still and know that I am God’ is not advice to us to lead a contemplative life, however important that may be…. It means rather, ‘Lay down your arms. Surrender, and acknowledge that I am the one and only victorious God.’” (Boice)

Let me share with you what the message paraphrase says,

“Step out of the traffic! Take a long loving look at ME, your High God, above politics; above everything!”

It’s almost as though these words from God are a call for a response.

It’s a call for us to respond to our knowledge of who God is,

and of our knowledge of who God is, for us.

See, the whole of this chapter,

well, actually, the whole of God’s Word is about what God has done,

is doing,

and will do for us.

All of Scripture is about God;

but more precisely,

it is about who God is for us.

It is about His relentless,

never ending,

all-consuming love for mankind.

It is about how continues to pursue us;

how He longs for relationship with us;

how He longs to fill us,

sustain us,

renew us;

it about His desire to save us from ourselves,

even to the point of sacrificing His perfect, Beloved Son, for us;

even in the depth of our sin;

even in the magnitude of our depravity.

 

The Barefoot Warrior