“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 (NIV)

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to share a message at Deer Run, Be STILL, based out of Psalm 46.  The chapter begins with a reminder that whatever happens in this world, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”  This is a very contemporary Psalm as we can look around us, and even within us, and see “the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea.”  We open the paper or turn on the news and we see “nations are in an uproar; kingdoms fall”.  But it is not just the earth, the nations, the kingdoms — the turmoil often hits on a personal level and much closer to home.  It is in these times of national and world turmoil — and yes, in personal turmoil — that God calls us to be STILL and know Him!

So, what does that mean?  How can you and I “Be STILL” and know God?  Let me spell it out for us.  🙂  Being STILL begins with us being Silent.  I know, uh-oh, can’t I start with something easier?  Many times we have an extreme dislike, even fear, of silence.  How often have I prayed for God to speak clearly to me but I’m not silent long enough to listen to that still, small voice?  The silence that I am talking about is more than just a lack of sound, it is a silence that has deliberately set aside all the distractions both internally and externally.  It is often in these times of planned silence that we begin to prepare ourselves to be Still and know God.

Secondly, being STILL involves our desire to be Teachable.  As we remove all distractions and become silent, we must open our heart and mind to God’s instruction.  Being Teachable is an attitude and a decision.  It requires a recognition that someone else knows more than I do and there are things they can teach me.  It also involves a willingness on my part to make changes based on what I am taught.  To be Teachable requires that we have an open and submissive spirit to both the content that is being taught and to the one doing the teaching.

As we move down the word STILL, we come to the letter “I”.  To be STILL and know God will require us to be Inspected.  Ouch!  In David’s desire to know God, he calls out for God to search him and know his heart — to see if there is any offensive way in him.  To be STILL requires us to come before God and allow Him to Inspect any and every part of us to reveal if there is anything that would interfere with our knowing God.  This Inspection isn’t really for God’s benefit, He is our creator and knows us more intimately than we know ourself.  It is for the good of our relationship that we pay attention as God points out to us the results of our Inspection. 

As we move along in our desire to Be STILL, we must also be Learners.  I think when I first preached this text I used the word Listeners.  Either way the point is the same — we must be intentional in our Silence, in our Teachable times, and in our Inspection in order to understand what God would have us to know about ourself and about Him.  This isn’t about collecting information, it is about having a personal relationship with the living God.  As Learners, we begin to connect the dots and make the application of what God reveals to us as we are STILL before Him.

And finally, we tie it all together with a willingess to be Led.  This amplifies our submission to God that has been growing in the previous aspects of being STILL.  It is at this point we must surrender everything to God so that wherever He leads us, we will follow.  Being led assumes that the direction, speed, and purpose of where we are going are not our own but that of the One leading us. 

While it is easy to spell out — Silent, Teachable, Inspected, Learner, Led — I recognize it is much more difficult to live out.  It is through God’s strength in the practice of these elements of being STILL that we can look at the chaos in and around us and state with king Jehoshaphat, “We don’t know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.”!

I pray that you and I would grow in our practice of God’s command; “Be still, and know that I am God.”