Be Still and KNOW

Yesterday I was reminded of the verse, "Be still and know that I am God;" Psalm 46:10a. I feel like that verse is most often quoted as a call to just sit down and meditate on who God is. Believe me, I'm not saying that's a bad thing but I'm also thinking there's more to it. I feel like maybe the verse could say, "Be still and (you will) know that I am God." Forgive me if I'm wrong here! If you look at the rest of the Psalm, it is all about God being a fortress for His people in the midst of calamity. Verses 1-3 say,"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging." Often when I'm fearful God will remind me of the stories in His word that show His power over the sea. In Exodus 14, the Israelites had fled their slavery in Egypt, led by Moses. They found themselves in a situation that they thought was hopeless, as they were at the shore of the Red Sea with Pharaoh's army closing in behind them. They told Moses that he should have left them alone to be slaves instead of bringing them out there to die. In verses 13 and 14 Moses told them, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." The passage goes on to say that the Angel of the Lord and the pillar of cloud that were in front of them went around to stand between them and the Egyptians. The cloud brought light to the Israelites but darkness to the Egyptians. Verses 21-22, "Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. Sometimes I think that these stories lose their impact if we're not careful. Think about walking on dry ground through the midst of the sea with a wall of water on each side of you! This was miraculous and all the Israelites had to do was to trust and obey. They stopped clamoring and they saw the salvation of the Lord. Even the Egyptians recognized that God was fighting for Israel. They tried to flee but the sea overtook them. There are several other stories in the Bible of God's power over the water, from parting the Jordan River to Jesus walking on the water or calming the storm. None of these cases involved the people of God needing to DO anything to help themselves. In every case, they needed to be still, or as some other translations render it, cease striving and see God's salvation.Of course, then they needed to obey and walk across the dry land or whatever it was that God led them to do. So, yesterday when I read the words, "be still," I felt like it was as if God were laying a hand on our shoulder to calm us in the midst of whatever storm we may be in; a moment to pause and refocus and to know that the storm hasn't caught Him by surprise, nor does it give Him cause to worry. He's GOD; All-powerful, all-knowing, compassionate Creator God who is our refuge! And if we will be still and stop trying to work everything out, He'll show us. I love these verses from Psalm 139, "You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, 'Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,' even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day,for darkness is as light to you." Whatever you're going through today, slow down, feel God's hand upon You. Trust Him and give Him the time and space to show you He is God.

The God Who Sees

I read Isaiah chapter 40 today. I love this passage because there is so much imagery of God's awesomeness and power. It also speaks of God as a shepherd, gathering the lambs in His arms and gently leading the nursing ewes. Verse 12 says, "Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand and marked off the heavens by the span, and calculated the dust of the earth by the measure, and weighed the mountains in a balance and the hills in a pair of scales?" Isn't that some great imagery? The passage goes on to ask in verse 13, "Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord, or as His counselor has informed Him?" The obvious answer to that question is that God has no need of counselors and teachers. He is almighty and all-knowing. Knowledge comes from Him. Verse 16 says, "Even Lebanon is not enough to burn, nor its beasts enough for a burnt offering." The cedars of Lebanon are mentioned many times in the Bible. From what I've read, they can grow to be 100 feet tall and can live for more than 1000 years. This imagery shows that even a great forest with many animals is not enough as a burnt offering in light of God's greatness. Indeed, no earthly offering comes close to being adequate, which is why God, in His great love, sent His only begotten Son to atone for our sins. The passage then asks what likeness can be compared to God, an idol of gold or silver, or if one were poor, and idol of wood? How ridiculous to believe that any of these could compare to the Living God. There is a story of an idol in I Samuel 5 that I have always found rather funny. The Philistines had captured the Ark of God from the Israelites. The Ark represented the presence of God. It was kept in the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle and later the temple. It could not be approached by anyone except the High Priest and then only once a year. After the Philistines had captured the Ark, they placed it in the temple of their god, Dagon, a man-made god. On the two mornings after the arrival of the Ark, the Philistines found Dagon fallen on his face on the ground before the Ark. On the second morning his head and hands had broken off. Idols cannot stand in the presence of God! Isaiah 40:25-26 says, "'To whom then will you liken Me that I would be his equal.' says the Holy One. 'Lift up your eyes on high and see who has created these stars, the One who leads forth their host by number, He calls them all by name; Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power, not one of them is missing.'" Psalm 147:4 says, "He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name." It's so cool to me to think that God calls each of the stars by name. In Genesis 15:5, God said to Abraham, "'Look up at the sky and count the stars-if indeed you can count them.' Then He said to him, 'So shall your offspring be.'" If we know Jesus as Savior, we are counted among those descendants of Abraham. The passage in Isaiah goes on to ask how God's people could say that God is not attentive to their needs. I've always loved the second verse of the song by Rich Mullins titled Sometimes by Step. It says, "Sometimes I think of Abraham, how one star he saw had been lit for me. He was a stranger in this land and I am that no less than he. And on this road to righteousness sometimes the climb can be so steep, I may falter in my steps but never beyond Your reach." The God who knows the number and names of the stars also knows your name. The Bible says He knows the number of hairs on our heads. He cares so deeply for us, even to the tiniest detail of our lives. Verses 28-31 of Isaiah 40 are probably some of the most familiar verses in the Bible. "Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary,they will walk and not be faint." Earlier this week I was reminded that one of the names of God listed in the Old Testament is El Roi, meaning the God who sees. The God who created the Universe and who numbers the stars, sees each of us. He does not become weary or tired. He promises to give us strength as we wait upon and trust in Him. Father, thank you for showing us both Your unfathomable greatness and Your gentle concern for us. Help us to focus on and trust in You as we walk this road. Amen