Be Still and Know

Mindy Simmons 

 

One of my favorite Bible verses is Psalm 46:10: “Be still, and know that I am God.  I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” I’ve felt God speaking to me through this verse many times over the years, and more intensely lately, and I still can’t say I’ve succeeded in this instruction of “being still and knowing.” 

As I’ve reflected for myself on what I need to do to be still, several ideas come to mind: 

  • Physically being still and focusing my thoughts on God, on His Word, or in prayer 

  • Spending quiet devotional time with God 

  • Having my eyes closed during prayer or worship to push out distractions 

  • Having confidence in “knowing” and therefore not fearing, not worrying, and not stressing out 

  • Releasing control and giving God full control 

Being still is all of these things, and probably more. Let’s read the whole Psalm to get a better idea of the context of verse 10.

Psalm 46:1-11: 
“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. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Come and see what the Lord has done, the desolations he has brought on the earth. He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire. He says, ‘Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.’ The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.” 

 In reading through this full Psalm, we can see that in the context of war and enemies attacking, God says to “be still and know.” 

 Some other translations/interpretations of verse 10 say: 

  • Be still and know (recognize, understand) that I am God (Amplified Bible) 

  • Cease striving and know that I am God (New American Standard Bible) 

  • That’s enough! Now know that I am God! (Common English Bible) 

  • Our God says, “Calm down, and learn that I am God!” (Contemporary English Version) 

  • Be quiet! Know that I am God (Easy English Bible) 

  • “Stop fighting,” he says, “and know that I am God” (Good News Translation) 

  • “Stop your fighting – and know that I am God” (Holman Christian Standard Bible) 

  • “Step out of the traffic! Take a long, loving look at me, your High God, above politics, above everything” (Message) 

 To fully “be still and know” requires trusting God, and firmly placing our hope in Him alone. It does not mean that I should: trust Him + my plans; or trust Him + my strength. It means to just trust Him. And then obey only what He instructs. 

 We all have things that we absolutely “know” in life, right? We all have non-negotiables that we know will always be true for ourselves. For example, I know that I love my children and would do anything to keep them safe. I know that I am saved by grace and get to spend eternity with Jesus. And I know that I will never, ever be a 49ers fan. 

 But what does it mean to KNOW that God is God?  If we don’t fully trust God and don’t fully have our hope placed in him, I suggest that we don’t fully “know” that. 

 Examining our actions and feelings might help us gauge if we do KNOW: 

  • When I am fearful, do I KNOW that God is God? 

  • When I am trying to solve a problem in my own strength, do I KNOW that God is God? 

  • When I place my eternal hope in God, but choose not to trust Him enough to hope in Him daily, do I KNOW God is God? 

  • When I believe I’m going to Heaven when I die, but I’m scared about my future on earth, do I KNOW God is God? 

 Will you join me in examining your own heart today? Ask yourself: how can I get better at trusting God? Where is my hope placed, and how can I improve my ability to place ALL my hope in God? How might God be speaking to me today, to be still? 

Mindy Simmons