BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD

“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him.”

-Psalm 37:7

Animal lovers recognize that only the dog who trusts his master will lie on his back while you scratch his chest because in that position, it is totally vulnerable. So it is with us – nothing makes us more helpless than being in the position of having played out our options. There is nothing more we can do except trust God.

About 3,000 years ago, God addressed this issue as He said, “Be still and know that I Am God” (Psalm 46:10). The word translated “Be still” also means “Relax, let go, stop pushing.” Is anything so contrary to our nature? But there are times and situations which are beyond our scope and power to fix, and it is then that God says, “Be still and know that I Am God.”

In her book “The Edges of His Ways”, Amy Carmichael wrote, “There is no command in the whole Bible so difficult to obey and so penetrating in power, as the command to be still.” Amy Carmichael was never a woman to sit idly by and do nothing when she saw difficulty. Working in India among the outcasts, Amy began to notice with horror that thousands of little girls were temple prostitutes. Rising to do battle with this evil, she spent her life rescuing them and establishing training schools for them. Yet Amy learned through difficulty and physical pain, that there are times when we only do nothing but wait upon the Lord.

God not only tells us to be still, but adds a second command, “Know that I Am God!” Meditation or being quiet may have some therapeutic value. Taking time from a busy schedule never hurts anyone, but just slowing down isn’t enough. Understanding that God is God gives meaning to what otherwise would be a hopeless situation.