Psalm 46 and 47 … Consider Him… Be Still, and Know!

Originally posted: 10/19/2020

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

I love Sunday mornings. I love being able to gather together for corporate worship and praise (even when it meant with masks and social distancing), to be instructed in the Word together, and then meet with my small group of girls after our morning service. We call ourselves Girls of Grace. We are ladies of all ages, but we will forever be His little girls. And together, we share what our Father God has taught us throughout the week from His Word, using the three-year Bible reading schedule.

We love the Psalms because they are gut-level real. Psalms present the realities and struggles of life on earth; the highs and lows, the joys and sorrows, the hopes and fears, the delight and despair. We all know that life can often be a struggle, a wrestling match to see who comes out on top.

Each Sunday morning, I spend time reviewing the previous week’s reading. Yesterday, was one of those mornings. And as I reflected on all that I have been privileged to see during my time considering Him in the Psalms, my faith in Jesus Christ soared; I have seen Jesus in every chapter. He is the fulfillment of every promise of God portrayed throughout every song penned in this book of worship.

For the Son of God, Christ Jesus, who was preached among you by us—by me and Silvanus and Timothy—was not yes and no, but is yes in Him. ²⁰ For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us, (2 Corinthians 1:20).

Psalms is a gift to us, guiding us in praise whether we are experiencing victories or defeats; and during seasons of confusion and discouragement, Psalms provides instructions on where we are to turn when life seems unfair, when life hurts, when life threatens our security, when life just seems like it’s way too much to take on.

Psalms is filled with the truth of Who God is, what He has done, what He will do; emphatically reinforcing the truth that He reigns eternal. And Psalms calls us to rest in that truth. It is critical to do so, to stop fighting, to cease striving against the unknowns and to simply Be Still, and rest in what He has shown us. The command, “Be still” is also translated in some versions as “Cease striving,” placing an emphasis on putting a halt to a frenzied activity.

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

The only way we will cease our striving is by continuing to believe Him for every day and every need. Faith induces a rest, enabling us to in fact, Be Still.

But we are not called to Be Still just to be motionless. We are called to stop resisting and to lean into Him so that we would be convinced of His love and truth. We are called to Be Still and Know… Him, because when we Know Him, we are changed.

Consider Him… Be Still, and Know!

• Be Still, and Know… He is our refuge, strength and help.
  • God is our refuge and strength,
    A very present help in trouble, (46:1).

• Be Still, and Know… He is unchanging.
  • Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change
    And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea…
    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… (46:2, 4-5).

• Be Still, and Know… He conquers kingdoms.
  • The nations made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered;
    He raised His voice, the earth melted, (46:6).

• Be Still, and Know… He is the Lord of Hosts.
  • The Lord of hosts is with us… (46:7).

• Be Still, and Know…  He is our stronghold.
  • …The God of Jacob is our stronghold, (46:7).

• Be Still, and Know…  He makes wars to cease.
  • He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth;
    He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two, (46:9).

• Be Still, and Know…  He is the Lord Most High, a great King.
  • For the Lord Most High is to be feared,
    A great King over all the earth, (47:2).

• Be Still, and Know… He subdues peoples and nations under our feet.
  • He subdues peoples under us
    And nations under our feet, (47:3).

• Be Still, and Know…  He chooses our inheritance because of His love.
  • He chooses our inheritance for us,
    The glory of Jacob whom He loves. Selah, (47:4).

• Be Still, and Know…  He is the King of all the earth.
  • For God is the King of all the earth;
    Sing praises with a skillful psalm, (47:7).

• Be Still, and Know…  He reigns from His holy throne.
  • God reigns over the nations,
    God sits on His holy throne, (47:8).

• Be Still, and Know… He is highly exalted over every earthly ruler.
  • For the shields [leaders, rulers] of the earth belong to God;
    He is highly exalted, (47:9).

How do we respond to Him… that we might Be Still, and Know?

The only way we can truly know Him is when we cease striving to figure out all the answers, when we stop trying to work things out on our own, when we are Still and simply believe.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life, (John 3:16).

It was not during a time of joy and victory, but it was in a time of affliction, oppression, sorrow, suffering and confusion that God’s Word came to the writer of Psalm 46.

“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 ESV).

His call to Be Still and Know is intertwined with His call to believe. But even when we believe, even when we are His born-again children, we still wrestle with anxiety and despair. So how are we to Be Still?

The best way to Be Still is to silence the competing voices, the voices of fear, worry and panic; for He has given all we need through, our Savior. He has given us His gifts: the gift of faith to conquer our fears; the gift of His Word, reminding us of all His wondrous works to eradicate our worries; and the gift of His Holy Spirit Who fills us with His life and peace to triumph over panic.

• Let us Be Still and Know… through faith. He is God Who has given us faith to conquer our fears.
  • Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change
    And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; (46:2).

• • • For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind, (2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV).

• Let us Be Still and Know… through His Word and His Works. He is the Lord Who has given us His Word revealing His Works to eradicate our worry.
  • Come, behold the works of the Lord,
    Who has wrought desolations in the earth, (46:8).

• • • “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? ²⁷ And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? ²⁸ And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, ²⁹ yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. ³⁰ But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! ³¹ Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ ³² For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. ³³ But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. ³⁴ “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own,” (Matthew 6:25-34).

• Let us Be Still and Know… through His peace. He is God Who has given us His life and peace to triumph over panic.
  • “Cease striving and know that I am God;
    I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth,” (46:10).

• • • For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, (Romans 8:6).

We are to Be Still, but we are not to Be quiet! For when we Know His faithfulness and mercy in our trials, when we have experienced His compassion and comfort in our sufferings, when He has grown our faith through our testings and afflictions, how can we possibly keep Him to ourselves? We can’t!

May the Lord be glorified in our lives as we rest in Him, that we would be filled with the knowledge of His goodness and overflowing with praise. Oh may we Be Still, and Know, that others would also Know… Him!

O clap your hands, all peoples;
Shout to God with the voice of joy…
⁶ Sing praises to God, sing praises;
Sing praises to our King, sing praises.
⁷ For God is the King of all the earth;
Sing praises with a skillful psalm, (47:1, 6-7).

I will sing of the lovingkindness of the Lord forever;
To all generations I will make known Your faithfulness with my mouth, (Psalm 89:1).

Let’s Grow Together!