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.