By: Mike Kelly
Retired Pastor
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.” That is Psalm 46:10-11.
“Be still and know that I am God.” We hear that all the time. We see it on wristbands, mugs, sweatshirts and signs to put on our walls.
“Be still” is a Hebrew word that means more than just take the day off, lay back and relax. It’s actually an active command: Let Go! Stop your efforts! Stop trying to figure this out and take your hands off the wheel!
This verse comes in a chapter where the world feels like it’s falling apart. V2-3 “…though the earth gives way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.”
Boy, have I been there, done that! And I have responded to those situations with complete relaxation and trust in God’s ability to handle things. NOT!
This “trust in God” thing is really hard for me. I’m a doer. When things begin to fall apart, I react by doing! I run hither and yonder trying to hold all the parts together. I’m not quite the proverbial chicken with its head cut off but I might be closer than I think.
I stick my finger in the dike. I get out the duct tape and start taping things together. You get the idea. But the one thing I certainly do not do is relax, and I certainly do not just “let go and let God” as they say.
But that is exactly what the Sons of Korah are telling us to do in this Psalm. It starts out in V1-2a “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth gives way…”
It doesn’t matter how chaotic things are, God is in control. V7, 9: “The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire.”
How can we, his sons and daughters, not trust our father? He is Almighty … nothing and no one competes with his power or will. He can end wars and turn hearts to peace.
He is able to shelter us in the storms of life. He is our “ever-present help in trouble.” Ever-present! Get it?
Almighty and ever-present. So, under what scenario can we imagine Him not being there and not in control? All-mighty and Always present, always there! I can’t find any gaps in that combination.
I know why I get scared and try to handle it myself. I forget what he has done in the past too quickly. I find myself facing trials beyond my ability to handle and instead of trusting what I have seen him do before, I panic. I forget the times he rescued me when it seemed impossible.
There was a custom in ancient times to build a rock formation as a remembrance of what God did somewhere. They were called memorial stones. When God parted the Jordan River on the way to Jericho,
Joshua was told to take 12 stones and build a memorial so that the Israelites would not forget what God did there.
Maybe I need to start a rock garden or something that I can look at and be reminded of verse 8 “Come and see what the Lord has done…”
What about you? Need a visual reminder of how God has been there for you in the past so that you can handle the future better?
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Mike Kelly is the founding pastor of Bryan’s Grace Community Church (retired) and Board Chairman of Bryan’s Sanctuary Homeless Shelter and Williams County’s Compassion (free) Medical Clinic.