The Pun
The Prayer
I have long said that Psalm 46:10 is one of my favorite individual verses of scripture:
"Be still and know that I am God"
For some time I thought of it as an encouragement to engage in quiet meditation on God, leading to some revelation or epiphany concerning Him and His nature. Later, when I finally bothered to read and study the whole of Psalm 46, I discovered the setting is anything but quiet! Leading up to the 'Be still' command, a picture is poetically painted of God speaking in such a way that:
The earth shifts, mountains topple, and seas roar, Nations rage, Kingdoms crumble, the earth melts. The earth is devasted as the Prince of Peace makes war on war Leaving broken bows and shattered spears and burning chariots.
And what does God say to ignite these calamities? Simply this:
"Be still and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted over the earth."
The command to be still is not so much a call to the prayer closet as the shout of a parent fed up with sibling squabbles:
Be quiet! Stop fighting! Stop striving to prove you're the dominant one! You are not in charge here; I AM! I will be exalted among the nations! I will be exalted in the earth!
And maybe this is the admonition I really need. Maybe I am in need of being shocked into the reality of who God is. And perhaps there are times when I need to fearfully and humbly listen to the God who has already spoken more than I need some new revelation or epiphany in the prayer closet.
That’s our God. Higher than any of us will ever be! Love it!