Being Still - A Look at Psalm 46:10
Psalm 46:10 reads, "He says, 'Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth," (NIV). This is an absolutely fantastic verse, especially for the times we're living through right now. This week at HQ I taught about patience, about enduring through struggles and hardships with focus and determination, calmness and peace, with a spirit of hope rather than a mouth full of complaints. Patience is a real struggle for most people, especially in the age of instant gratification that has been ushered in by the era of technology and an extended period of economic strength worldwide. On a large scale, we can often struggle with patience in the face of inequality, patience in the face of oppressive jobs or abusive figures of authority (whether that means a parent, a teacher, a politician, or all three). On a smaller scale, I personally struggle being patient with myself and my goals, being patient with God's plan for my life. When I look to God in prayer over these many things that make patience so difficult, do you know what He says?
Be still, and know that I am God.
Around the world, but especially here in the US, being still has become an increasingly foreign concept. Our lives are scheduled moment by moment between school, extracurriculars, work, family, or even church. Schools are constantly hammering both teachers and students for results, bosses seek new and innovative ways to control workers so they can better produce, companies develop intricate advertisements and campaigns to more thoroughly convince civilians to consume. Churches are guilty as well, as for many Sundays become about how many are in the pews and how much they are contributing each week.
In many ways, the current pandemonium, as wild and chaotic as it might sometimes feel, has forced us to be still. We have no choice but to wait for things that we were planning on doing. But Christians do have a choice to make in a time like this: will you become angry/frustrated/sad, or will you be patient with God and trust in His plan?
Be still. Pray. Think about how exciting it will be for parts of your life to return to normal once this time has passed. More importantly, take this time to identify ways your life has changed that should remain changed once this time has passed.
Patience is a muscle, and we have currently all been forced to go to the gym. The only question is whether you are going to sit on a bench or take the opportunity to exercise and grow stronger.
-Ryan-
This is an awesome worship video. Hope you give it a listen.