Be Still and Know that I am God
“Being still” hardly comes naturally when we are flung into the center of all kinds of turmoil in our personal lives, financial situations, or in our relationships. Not to mention all sorts of anxieties that come upon us as we observe the state of affairs locally, governmentally, or globally. Just observing the economic state of our nation is enough to be anxious! Rising gas prices, increased cost of living, and our income or wages not seeming to rise high enough to meet the demands of inflation.
But God tells His people, “Be still and know that I am God.”
He seems to be telling His people, “Don’t worry. I’m here and I’m in charge. I’m aware of your needs, your necessities, and your constraints. I love you and I care for you, and that includes all your material needs. Trust Me. I’m taking care of your situation.”
He goes on to say, “I will be exalted in the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”
Meaning, “Those who do not know Me will come to learn of Me. Those who do not bow down to Me will one day recognize that I am the Lord of Hosts and that there is no one greater than Me and no one above Me.” Those who live as though there is no God will one day come to a day of reckoning in which they will realize that there is a God and that this God is a just and holy and righteous God. On their appointed day, God will judge them according to their deeds.
For the righteous and believing people of God, or anyone in any stage of spiritual seeking and development, it is wisdom to seek the Lord in the stillness and in the secret and quiet place of our hearts.
The Soul vs. The Spirit
Often, however, it is hard to find stillness in our hearts or our souls. Our soul is comprised of three parts: the mind, the will, and the emotions. It is our psychological make-up, and it is the place where mental health problems abound.
Embedded deep within our soul is our spirit, the place where we can contact God. God is spirit and all those who commune with God must do so in spirit.
The soul of man is directed by one of three sources: God, man (or self), and Satan. Man being in the middle can always make the choice to follow God or Satan. Often times, we associate “Satan” as being “devilish” or “evil” and think “satanic” things are things that are obvious and outrightly evil, such as stealing, lying, murder, or worshipping satan.
However, the more we open to God to know His ways and understand His heart, we will begin to recognize that whatever is not of God, whether good or evil, is still of self or satan. Our concept of “good” is not entirely of God.
Examples of doing “good” or being a “good person” may be: helping someone in need, giving to the poor, or doing a good deed. Often times, we do good because we want to be praised or accepted by others. This is not according to God’s heart desire. God does not care for us to be exalted by others. He only cares for Himself to be exalted. “I will be exalted in the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” (Ps 41:10). If the source of the good deed comes from God, often times, He will want it to be done in secret. By doing this, He is the One who receives the credit and not the person.
Man is continually standing in the middle of two choices all the time. To choose to gratify and please God or to gratify and please Self. In the realm of spiritual life, there are only two choices, God or Satan. To choose Self over God is to choose Satan’s way. So, to perform any religious acts, any good or kind acts, even any sacrificial acts, in the name of God but to uplift the Self is actually to choose Satan over God. If anything is done for God, it should be done in fellowship with God, in humility, in secret, and with quiet thanksgiving to God. This kind of quiet, meek and humble, seeking heart is pleasing and honorable to God.
The Noisy Realm of the Soul vs. the Still and Quiet Voice of God
The mind is quite noisy. It hustles and bustles, rushes you and keeps you occupied by anything and everything BUT God. There needs to be a quiet stillness within in order to even hear God. God speaks in the stillness and the quiet place.
But how do we get there? How do we move from noisy to quiet? By acknowledging to God in prayer that our inward life is noisy. “God, I know you are telling me to be still and quiet, but it’s so noisy within. Help me to quiet my soul so that I can hear you.” God honors an honest and seeking prayer such as this.
I often practice stillness through meditation. I briefly mention the practice of meditation in my past article here. I like to tell my clients to start with one minute if 5 minutes is too hard. If you can do 5 minutes of meditation, then you can do 10 minutes. If you can do 10 minutes, than you can do 30 minutes. We start the practice from where our tolerance is and grow from there.
Meditation is just a way to practice physically and mentally becoming still so that our inner being can find quiet, rest, and peace. Meditation does not have to be a spiritual practice, but it certainly can be. If you are open to the Divine speaking, all it takes are the words, “I’m open. Please speak to me.”
Once you are open, you may hear or see or feel the love of God coming to you in visible and tangible ways. You may be reminded of things you have done that offended God. This is an opportunity for you to ask God for forgiveness (repent) and make things right again. You may also find a rush of gratitude coming into your heart for all the things you’ve been blessed with by God that you forgot about due to being so overcome with the problems of life. This also is from God.
To seek the Lord while He is near and to know Him before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord is wisdom (Joel 2:1, 11, 31). The day of the Lord, when the Lord reveals Himself to all, will be a terrible and great day, not one of peace and good-will (Amos 5:18, 20; Acts 2:20).
But for those who have had a regular and daily walk with the Lord before that great and terrible day, it will be a salvation to them (Acts 2:21). For the Lord has said in His Word that the day of the Lord shall come as a thief (1 Thessalonians 5:2; 2 Peter 3:10). Thus, He exhorts us to watch and be sober. This means to learn to seek Him while there is still grace for us to do so.
There is much reason for us to seek God in these days of trials, tribulations, and turmoils from every side. And these troubles will only increase around us and within us over time if we do not seek the Only One who is and can give us peace (Jn 16:33), rest (Matt 11:28), and joy (Jn 17:13).
May we find time in our busy days to be still and know that God is God. Both within and without.
Some resources for further study of God and the Bible:
Bible Gateway
God’s Plan of Salvation for Man
