Be Still

God is our refuge and strength,A very present help in trouble.2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should changeAnd though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea;3 Though its waters roar and foam,Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. Selah.4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,The holy dwelling places of the Most High.5 God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved;God will help her when morning dawns.6 The nations made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered;He raised His voice, the earth melted.7 The Lord of hosts is with us;The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.8 Come, behold the works of the Lord,Who has wrought desolations in the earth.9 He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth;He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two;He burns the chariots with fire.10 “Cease striving and know that I am God;I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”11 The Lord of hosts is with us;The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.{Psalm46 NAS}For years I have felt a bit assaulted by this scripture. I’ve loved it, of course, because all good Christian girls should love it and kind of purse their lips together while nodding their heads and humming while they say it, but {GAH!} my life just can’t seem to get to a “still” place. My world is anything but still. I don’t mean without peace I just mean the life God has scripted out for us is loud, busy and probably viewed as a bit rowdy by any outsider looking in. Building a life with a football coach, three active kids and a growing ministry is moving at a ridiculous speed. And that is with Toby, my husband, and I ACTIVELY stepping towards the beat of the Lord. We aren’t the only ones either. Loads of our dearest friends, full of peace and grace, have lives moving at the speed of light too.But….here we find this scripture sandwiched in Psalm 46 and I’m like “Wha?!”“God, how in the world am I supposed to “be still” inside the world I am currently occupying?!”I’m all, “Did you not see my color coded, yielded, surrendered calendar?!”Regardless of what my personal superficial color-coded schedule is there are emotional elements to our life that keep us in constant spiritual movement as well. Serving, giving, ministering, “weeping with those who weep and rejoicing with those who rejoice”, loving, traveling to spread the message of Jesus…all of those require movement….The media, politics, terrorism, engaging the issues of the day all throws movement into our worlds just by flipping on the television or walking out our front doors…how does being still play into my life?For years I have thought it meant I needed to flip the switch to some alternative mode of meditation….hey, let’s get straight up honest here….NEVER going to happen. Nope. Certainly not going to happen by me just wishing it to be true or feeling condemned because I can’t “get still”.The further I get in this surrender thing with God I am realizing working hours get longer and longer, heart hours get stretched tighter and tighter…..yet, I know stillness is a part of this gig too….so I how do I get it?It isn’t a physical stillness. It can’t be. It is soul stillness. “Be still {cease striving} is a quiet determination of heart among the rowdy rabble of life. It isn’t necessarily about the word “still” anyway; I believe it is about the word “know”.*The people of God are secure, even in times of tumult and upheaval, because God is their refuge and strength. God is present in his city to protect it in all circumstances. Verses 2-3 use earthquakes, landslides and the raging sea as images of raging nations and tottering kingdoms. There is also a contrast: though the mountains be moved, Zion shall not be moved. The reason is that God has chosen Zion to be his holy habitation, the place of His sanctuary, where his people meet him in worship, a river. In contrast to the roaring seas, the streams of this river {the image of the grace found in worshiping the true God} make glad the city of God.**English Study Version study text for Psalm 46:1-8We are the chosen “Zion” people of God. The world is rowdy and loud and without “stillness”, but there is a situated place negotiating peace beyond circumstance having nothing to do with our physical movement based on what we KNOW to be true. It says here in the New American Standard version to “cease striving and KNOW”.“Be still {cease striving} and KNOW I am God” means to make the KNOWING of God supersede the striving. It means to make it real to your being, get it situated in your heart, settle the issue in your life of God being in supreme, kind, yet authoritative loving protective control and having all the movement of our worlds in His steady able hand. Be still and KNOW.Be still by being determined beyond measure that God is God so that WHEN, not if, the earth gives way in our lives or the mountains are moved into the heart of the sea we can lock eyes with the One that has so graciously chosen us and our souls can “Be still and KNOW” because, “Those who KNOW Your name will put their trust in You; For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.” {Psalm 9:10}May we not be condemned by what we can’t “get still” and may we be elevated by the grace of what we KNOW to be True yesterday, today and forevermore….”Be still and know that I am God.” {Psalm 46:10}