TUESDAY 6th
Psalm 46
NIV (v10) – ‘He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”’
ESV (v10) – ‘”Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”’
‘Be still’, we often sing that song, ‘Be still for the presence of the Lord, is moving in this place’, there is an older hymn that goes, ‘Be still my soul . . .’ (lyrics at the end) It is good to be reminded that in the rush and the hustle and bustle of life today that we still need to take time out and to be still, to be hushed and to spend time in the presence of God. The psalmist continues, ‘Be still, AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD’ in other words, do not forget God in all your rush and hustle and bustle, do not forget who God is, the sovereign One, the creator and the One who sustains all things, the one who rules and reigns, ‘Be still’ silence everything else and stop everything else and ponder anew who the Almighty is and what the Almighty can do.
It is in those moments when we learn to ‘be still’ that we can know the very present God in verse 1 ministering into our souls, meeting our needs, and moving us on in his purpose. It is in those moments of being still that we can as Isaiah puts it ‘Wait on the Lord’, and know our strength being renewed, mount up like eagles, run and not be weary, walk and not be faint, (Isaiah 40:31)
Some of us have trouble in being still, I am one of them, I like to be on the go all the time, doing something, being somewhere, we can be like this spiritually, forgetting to stop and being still in the presence of God. The old song goes ‘Silence is golden’ and in the spiritual realm it really is, for it is in our silence with God, those moments of being still, that we can know those golden moments, those moments when he touches us deep within our spirit and soul, he touches us anew and fills us again with fresh spiritual vigour and zeal, when he touches us deep within and rekindles our love for him and for the things he is wanting us to do.
‘Be still’ during everything that is going on around us. I mentioned a few weeks ago that I fear (in a right sense) for what this world will be like in even five years, with the spiralling trend toward ungodliness and unrighteousness, but the answer is to ‘be still’ for God will be exalted among the nations, he will be exalted in the earth! He is the Lord, and he reigns on high!
I wonder if this short psalm is one that we often turn to during the moments of loss, I know that for me it is a psalm that has blessed me and ministered to me during loss, in fact one of the most difficult times when I have had to read this psalm was during the funeral service of a close family member who was also a friend and colleague, but it always reminds us to ‘be still’ and to know that even in our loss, God is there. The lyrics of this hymn are based around those thoughts.
Be still my soul the Lord is on thy side,
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain,
Leave to thy God to order and provide,
In every change he faithful will remain.
Be still my soul thy best, thy heavenly friend,
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.
Be still my soul when dearest friends depart,
And all is darkened in the vale of tears,
Then shalt thou better know his love his heart,
Who comes to soothe thy sorrow and thy fears.
Be still my soul the waves and winds shall know,
His voice who ruled them while he dwelt below.
Be still my soul the hour is hastening on,
When we shall be forever with the Lord,
When disappointment grief and fear are gone,
Sorrow forgot love’s purest joys restored.
Be still my soul when change and tears are past,
All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.