Be Still and Know

Have you ever thought about being still, really still, and what you can learn at that moment? Does stillness seem hard to you?

Most people find it difficult if not impossible because we are people used to movement and activity. Actually, we don’t even connect the two things together because stillness to most means doing nothing. But that is so far from the true meaning of the word.

Just saying the word “still” makes you feel calm and peaceful. There is a verse in the Bible that is a wonderful promise of knowing God when stillness comes. He says…

 “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10 (NIV)

The word stillness invokes a sensing of a gentle breeze brushing against your face or the act of not moving. But is this what the word really means in this verse? I want to show you that this word is much deeper than you know.

Stillness is something we all need, but we find hard to achieve because life is so full of movement. Still is a verb in this verse and we know verbs mean action, doing something, which means movement.

The word “still” is the Hebrew word raphah. It means to sink down, relax, to let go, let drop, lose your grip, slackening your grip. So, this word means you are to do something. Do what?

You are to let go of your situations and circumstances, loosen your grip on them, relax, and let your guard down. More importantly, it also means let go of the outcomes too!

What…. the outcomes! Yes. Let go of how you want things to work out. I have had to do this because today my life looks nothing like I wanted it to look. It looks nothing like I thought it would look. It looks nothing like the dream I had in my heart.  So I have to let go of all that and go with what is. What about you? What do you need to let go of, drop or relax your grip on? 

Being still is not passive. Being still is where you know God personally. The Bible says this is the way to know Him. It means you come to Him with all your stuff, and you set it at His feet. You are to let go of your grip on your marriage, your kids, your career, your finances, etc. You are to relax your grip on your life issues. Let go mentally of putting your mind on things and the outcomes of those situations.

God is saying in this verse, if you want to really know Him as God, let go (or be still) of all you know. Then, in that stillness, you will “know” Him as God, like you have never known before.You will know Him as God or Lord of those situations. Being still teaches you surrender. It also teaches you that God can be known. To know Him as your God, you must let go of your life. Trust the outcome He has for you and live in that.

As you surrender yourself and all your problems to Him, you get to know the God that can handle all of that. That will increase your trust in Him as you walk in this discipline.

Answer the following questions to help you reflect on His promise to you.

• How can I come to a place of stillness in my life?
• What situations/circumstances do I need to relax in, sink down in and let go of?
• What is hindering me from really letting go of control?
• What would my life look like if I took my mind off my problems?
• How would knowing God affect my everyday life?

Selah.