Be Still, and Know That I Am God




The last verse of Psalm 46 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.” So, what does “be still” mean?

If you’re a parent, you must have said to your kids (at least once!) “oh my goodness, you need to be quiet, I’ll take care of it!” - in response to them clamoring is it ready, are we there yet, I’m hungry NOW…; that’s what this verse means to me.

The psalm recites a litany of dire and horrible events: cataclysmic mud slides, earthquakes, tsunamis, wars, destruction of empires, then ends with the instruction to “be still”.

As children of God, we can stop our clamoring, fussing, worrying, laments, because we’re confident that God knows our issues and struggles and is more than able to “take care of it”.

There are many beautiful musical arrangements of Psalm 46: a simple one in our hymnal (#414), the well-known chorus that became well-known in the 1980s, contemporary, and elaborate choral settings.

I hope you enjoy this offering by the Mississippi Mass Choir: https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=be+still+and+know+that+i+am+god+chorus&&view=detail&mid=34FB179ADC941AD2A24B34FB179ADC941AD2A24B&&FORM=VDRVRV

This recording is by Don Moen, a prolific writer of contemporary praise music:

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=don+moen+be+still+youtube&&view=detail&mid=B6707E4802FA58F44B40B6707E4802FA58F44B40&&FORM=VRDGAR&ru=%2Fvideos%2Fsearch%3Fq%3Ddon%2Bmoen%2Bbe%2Bstill%2Byoutube%26go%3DSearch%26qs%3Dds%26form%3DQBVDMH

 

Joy Christian

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dinner Conversations

Image
Every night at the dinner table, our family takes turns telling each other what we’re thankful for from the day. It never fails that one of our kids shares that they’re thankful for a good dinner, even if they struggled to get all of it down. While the practice can seem mundane and routine, our hope is that one day, the practice of gratitude that we’ve engrained in them (and ourselves) will help us on the days where it seems the world has nothing in it for which to be grateful. Maybe we can consider it practice for those coming moments of despair-that there is still some blessing that deserves our gratitude. Isn’t that what Jesus calls us to do? We are called in so many ways to reflect on the abundant blessings of God. Consider this passage from 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18:     Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances,  for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.   This directive is strong-no matter what is happening-be joyful, pray, give ...
Read more

Don't Fall Asleep

Image
Be quiet!  No I'm not mad at you.  I'm actually looking out for you, trying to help.  Lord knows I need to be quiet more.  This isn't about being more ears than mouth - although that is a good idea too!   It is really hard for us to quiet our minds.  We are so used to the stimulation all around us and nowadays the powerful computers we all carry around, occasionally to make phone calls, makes it even more difficult to stop... and.... just... listen...  I wonder if that moment of silence in church is treasured by some and is torture for others?  I treasure it and wish it was longer.  Probably because I have trouble doing it by myself. I just read an article that a friend of ours wrote about going through radiation treatment.   Her nurse told her to "lay heavy" in the machine that rotated her around and applied the radiation.  Each of the 30 days she did this became special to her in a strange way.  She wa...
Read more

Practicing the Practices at home

Image
        During the last weeks, many spiritual disciplines were discussed and experienced in Sunday School, worship, and the Lenten Blogs. God created us as such unique and complex individuals that there are a multitude of ways God draws near to us and we draw nearer to God -- centering prayer, Labyrinth, journal, retreat, solitude, dance, create/listen to music, meditate, silence, enjoy nature, make/enjoy art, express gratitude, fast, unplug, simple life, worship, read the Bible, advocate, Lectio Divina, prayer beads, chant, garden, sacraments, confession, fellowship, celebrate, exercise, rest, listen to a friend, give, reflect, write a letter, and tell about God.      This last week gives us time to try a new spiritual discipline. For young children many of the disciplines are new, so trying a new one is not challenging. When working with children adults need to keep two approaches in mind:  value the worth of each discipline and remember th...
Read more