Be Still and Know

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God

What do you do when you are going about life as usual and the storm clouds of crisis unleash their fury on you or your family? How do you cope? What do you cling to, in order to make it through difficult or perilous times?

Jehoshaphat found himself is such a circumstance. He faced the combined forces of the Moabites, Ammonites, and Meunites, and was understandably afraid. So, he prayed. He poured out his heart to God.

“Listen, King Jehoshaphat . . . ! This is what the LORD says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's.’ ” (2 Chronicles 20:15 NIV)

When he heard this, Jehoshaphat led the people in a worship service. The following day the choir, still singing God’s praises, went out before Jehoshaphat and his army. As they crested the hill and looked down on the enemy camp, all they saw were dead bodies. It looked as if a great battle had already taken place. And indeed it had. You see, in the night, God had so confused the enemy soldiers that they had attacked each other, and not one warrior in that vast army had remained alive. That event inspired Jehoshaphat's music minister to write the 46th Psalm.

And what caught my attention were the words in verse 10, “Be still and know…”

“Be still” doesn't catch the full meaning of the Hebrew. The word, raphah, literally means to "let go; put your arms down to your side.” Some translations word it this way: "cease striving" or "relax." But it carries the idea of God saying, "When you face a terrifying situation, lay down your arms. Put down your 'sword and shield.' Step aside and acknowledge that I am the one and only victorious God."

Now, I don't know about you, but when I am facing a crisis, relaxing—being still—is the last thing I want to do. My first tendency is to do just the opposite. I want to defend myself, or counterattack. But be still—never! Think how vulnerable you feel in the face of an attack when you drop your arms, let go, cease striving, and relax. Yet, that is exactly what God told His people to do in that circumstance.

There is a caveat in this Psalm. Not only did He tell them TO relax, but also HOW to relax. He said, "Be still and KNOW that I am God." The challenge in Psalm 46:10 is to respond cognitively, not emotionally. He wanted them to respond on the basis of something they KNEW instead of something they FELT.

The apostle Paul picked up on this idea in his second letter to Timothy. Listen to his advice found in 2 Timothy 1:12 (NKJV): For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I KNOW whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.

Today’s eDevotion is a challenge, of sorts. If you are facing a personal crisis, ask yourself: What do I fear more—whose power do I respect more—the power of the living God, or the power of crisis? Keep in mind the words of Psalms 27:1 (NLT): The LORD is my light and my salvation—so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?