Be Still, and Know that He is GOD!

Psalm 46:10 “Be still, and know that I am God.”

This simple statement spoken by God at the end of this Psalm has always been a challenge to my soul! I am not the type of person that likes to “be still.” I am usually moving. When I preach on a Sunday, I get close to reaching my 10,000 step goal by noon. When I sit down to eat, my wife constantly has to grab my leg and tell me to stop shaking the table. I have five kids which means there is never a slow moment within my house.

So, when I read a verse that tells me to “be still”, I honestly don’t know what to do with it. Our world runs fast and to keep up you have to do the same. School, soccer practices, events, social gatherings, family, church gatherings, and the list goes on.  How can I be “be still”? Is this even possible? God said this back in David’s day and there were no cars, TV, social media, or even electricity. Can I really be still in the 21^st century?

Then came the COVID-19.

The world stopped.

No sports. No events. No movie theaters. No eating out. Everyone is told to stay home. If I were to tell you one month ago that everything was going to shut down in the US, you probably would have laughed in my face. What we are seeing today seems impossible…but it is happening.

I do not believe that God created the COVID-19 to slow us down or to flex His muscle, so let me get that out there first. I believe we live in a fallen world because of sin where viruses come and death is inevitable. One day He will make all things new and there will be no more sickness or death (Revelation 21:1-5). However, until that day comes, I do believe that God can use events that take place in this fallen world to show His power and point us to Him! None of this has taken Him by surprise and He remains seated on the throne; He continues to be actively on the move in our midst.

But this verse in Psalms has taken a whole new level of importance in my life. The words “be still” in Hebrew mean “cease striving.”  So, cease striving and know that He is God. It’s easy for me to run, and in my fast pace of life to stirve to control what I do. I have learned how to control things fairly well. I can keep a pretty busy schedule and not lose it. I like to run at a fast pace. I believe God has wired me that way. However, in the busyness of life, it is easy to grab the controls of your life and make all the decisions. I read a book years ago by Brother Lawrence called, “Practicing the Presence of God” that still sits on my shelf today. One statement that he makes in the book is this,

“At any moment and in any circumstances, the soul that seeks God may find Him, and practice the presence of God.”

I do not think it’s wrong to run at a fast pace at times. However, what God is showing me as I am now forced to stop, is that even in my fast pace, His presence must be my delight. Busyness, schedules, and events can easily take the place of God’s presence being central in all that I do. I want to run at the pace that God has wired me to run, but only if I am delighting in His presence…only if my greatest joy is being found in Him…only if I am learning how He is God! I don’t want to replace my delight in Him with other facets of life, or try to fill my greatest need with empty pursuits or even positive paths. I believe I can cease striving and still run as God has called me to run, but my mindset must change.

So, as I am forced to stop by the COVID-19, my prayer is that I will practice the presence of God in all that I do during this time. I will try to cease striving and know that He is God! I will breathe and rest as I find my delight in Him alone. I will be still in His presence more consistently and listen to what He wants to tell me through His Word! Then, when I am back to my normal pace of life which God has given me to run, my prayer will be that the practices and lessons I learn during these days will become my daily rhythms of life.

God, let my delight be only in You!