While driving one afternoon, the words, “Be still” came to my mind. I took a deep breath and allowed those comforting words to sink deep into my soul. I had been going from one place to the next, and my mind had been preoccupied with a myriad of thoughts. I tried desperately to clear out some thoughts with each exhale. “Deep breath in…deep breath out. Just be still,” I told myself, again. “Deep breath in…deep breath out. Calm down your mind.” But it was hard for me to let my thoughts go. Why was it so hard in that moment to just be still? Why did I struggle trying to turn my thoughts to God instead of the stressful, anxious thoughts running through my mind?
Do you struggle with being still like I do? Amidst the chaos of our lives and the sometimes constant going and doing, it can be hard to be still. In the Bible, though, God doesn’t just tell us to be still. The whole verse says,
“‘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)
I think what God is reminding us is that we can be still because God is God. He is bigger than our thoughts and our circumstances. He will be exalted because He is worthy of all praise so we can turn all our chaos to Him. But wait! Verse 10 isn’t the only verse in this psalm that reminds us of who God is. Read what all of Psalm 46 says here. Go on! I’ll wait.
The entire Psalm points to God as our Fortress, our Refuge, our Strength. It reminds us of his power and that He is always with us. That is why we can be still. Or rather, more accurately, He is why we can be still. Notice that all other verses except verse 10 are written by the psalm writer about God, but in verse 10, we get a direct quote from God Himself. It’s as if God is emphasizing to the writer and to us as readers that we can and should be still when we remember that He is God.
I’m challenging myself this week to ask God to help me when my mind gets tangled up in a spiderweb of thoughts to just be still. I’m challenging you to do the same. Turn your thoughts to Him, remember Who He is, and take comfort, dear one.
Pressing on in faith, Jennifer