Be Still, and Know

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

I find these words both convicting and comforting.  They convict me because deep inside is a tempest of doubt raging.  I see a culture on the downward slide of the slippery slope.  I see my own half-heartedness.  I see a unbelievers listening to the message of Jesus without flinching.  I see all these things and I wonder how it's all going to work out in the end.

I'm so caught up looking at the trees that I don't see the forest.  I fail to see the bigger picture.  Sometimes, it is easy to think God isn't at work, because we don't see any immediate results.  We are wanting a burning bush, but God is moving in subtler ways.  We want to hear a still small voice, but God is speaking through message of Christ.

"Be still," he says.  Stop struggling. Stop squirming.  Let your mind take a breather.  Relax. "Be still, and know I am God," he commands.  Stop fretting and realize that he alone is God.  He is in control.  There is nothing going to slip past him.  There is nothing that God cannot handle. 

This passage comforts me with the words, "I will be exalted among the nation! I will be exalted in the earth!" He will be exalted.  There is no stopping it.  The devil may rage, and the nations with him, but to no avail.

We can pray with confidence, as Jesus taught us to pray, "Our Father in heaven, hollowed be you name.  Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."  We are confident because we know that his will, ultimately, will be done. 

We don't have to worry when we don't have all the answers.  God is in control, and he will be exalted.  Be still, and rest in the knowledge that he is God.