Be Still and Know

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Psalm 46 has always been one of my ultimate favorite passages in the Bible. It is overflowing with many amazing promises and reassurances to help us through life’s darkest days. In fact, one of my go-to verses for when I’m feeling particularly anxious, overwhelmed, or afraid is Psalm 46:10, which exhorts: “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.”

I currently have an image of the first half of this verse as my lock screen for my phone. I pick up my phone and look at the screen countless times a day. It feels so soothing and empowering to be reminded many times daily to “be still and know that I am God”! In this crazy, fast-paced world, I’ve struggled to find moments each day to even slow down, let alone be still. Consequently, it doesn’t hurt to have a frequent reminder to just stop, breathe, and focus on God and His promises every now and then throughout my day.

Something dawned on me this morning that never stood out about this verse before: the word ‘know’ right there hiding in the middle of the beginning of Psalm 46:10. Over the years, I’ve thought long and hard about the “be still” part, as well as the whole idea that God is God (and as such, what that means to believers based off of the Lord’s many amazing attributes). Somehow, though, I have always simply read quickly over the word ‘know’ and never thought much about it.

Today, though, it struck me as quite significant after all. I find it interesting that the Lord chose the word ‘know’ here: we are to know God is God. We aren’t to believe that God is God. We aren’t supposed to conjure up enough faith that God is God. He doesn’t ask us to speculate or even reason that God is God. It says “Be still and know that I am God.”

When we know something, there is no doubt. There is no confusion. There is no worry of misunderstanding or false conjecture. There is just fact and a firm resting in that fact. When we know something, we possess a solid and unwavering assurance in what we know.

Life and this world can be immensely chaotic and confusing. It’s incredibly easy to become disoriented, overwhelmed, or blindsided by everyday life> It becomes a thousand times more challenging with the most difficult trials we sometimes must face. Frankly, life often doesn’t make any sense. And as such, we too often are left adrift wondering why.

It’s in those moments that we need a solid anchor to hold us steadfast in the middle of the raging tempest. We require an unmoving object to reorient ourselves, or we run the risk of sailing away from the safety of shore and farther into the potentially deadly storm. God is our solid anchor and unmoving source of hope. That is, He is if we learn to stop in the middle of the deafening roar of this world’s troubles and take unwavering refuge in God and who He is.

The world might never make much sense. It might even feel like the very world itself is falling in on us. But we have a solid foundation upon which to rest. We have the rock-solid reassurance that God is God. We can take refuge in the knowledge that the Lord is in control. He has a plan. Absolutely nothing surprises Him. And even if our world does fall apart, God possesses the mighty power to put it all back together again or better yet, to create something far more beautiful or glorious from the rubble. How amazing that such a tiny word like ‘know’ can hold such power and comfort in our lives! God’s Word is truly awesome and never fails to offer new nuggets of truth amongst even the most familiar of passages.

© 2021 Amanda R. Dollak

Psalms: When My Own Words Fail

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Out of all the books of the Bible, Psalms is definitely my favorite. It contains many of the passages that I hold closest in my heart. I see myself so readily within these pages. No matter what life might be throwing my way, there always seems to be at least one psalm which expresses exactly how I feel and gives me precisely the reminders I need to get me through the situation. There have been many times when I felt that I myself could have written some of the psalms, simply because my soul has struggled in almost identical ways as the psalmists.

On countless occasions, I have felt so overwhelmed and in pain that my own words failed me. I couldn’t pray. I couldn’t write. I couldn’t think. At least not effectively. Many times, I’ve struggled to put even two coherent words together to express all the emotions welling up inside of me. Times like these, I fall back on Psalms to fill in where I fall short. I read favorite psalms until the words finally flow again. I pray them aloud, using them to cry out to God while my own still prayers make little sense. I even write snippets of psalms out on paper, allowing my own thoughts and feelings to mingle with them on the page.

As a writer, it is extremely disconcerting to be at a loss for words, especially during times when it matters the most. Words and expressing myself are one of my greatest strengths. So, to have my strength fail me in my hour of need only makes a distressing situation a million times worse. Consequently, it is an immense comfort to have the deep struggles and raw emotions expressed in Psalms at my disposal. They might not be my own personal words, but they might as well be. They offer me an outlet to express my heart and soul during my darkest days without feeling phony. The trials and suffering that the psalmists struggled through are palpable. Even thousands of years later, it is all still extremely relevant and relatable.

The book of Psalms reminds me that even the biblical greats were mere humans. They struggled with doubt and fear. They wrestled against anger and bitterness. They questioned God and asked “why” in an attempt to understand. They were at times overwhelmed by anxiety and depression. They even grew so weak that they yearned for this life and this suffering to finally be over. All of this implies that it is simply part of life to fight through the muck and mire. It’s perfectly okay to struggle when things get tough. It doesn’t mean we lack faith or are bad Christians. We are just imperfect humans in a sin-cursed world.

We are, however, not supposed to remain there. Instead, we are to combat the darkness with God’s light. We are to remind ourselves of the multitude of blessings our Heavenly Father has showered upon us. We are also to counter every one of our struggles with the loving promises the Lord has for us, His children. Psalms is a solid reminder that in God, we have the victory. The Lord will always provide everything we need to overcome it all, if we only keep seeking Him and His Word.

Have you read the Bible? If you have, what is your favorite passage or book?

 

© 2020 Amanda R. Dollak