Come and see what the Lord has done, the desolations He has brought on the earth. He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; He burns the shields with fire. He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Psalm 46:8-11
“In times of upheaval, a voice from heaven says, “Be still and know that I am God.” It doesn’t say, “Be still and know why.” In a distant day the gradual sacrament of understanding may be offered to us. Today what is offered to us in the body and blood of Christ who suffered, as George MacDonald once said, not that we might not suffer, but that our suffering might be like his.”
Ken Gire in The Weathering Grace of God: The Beauty God Brings from Life’s Upheavals (Vine Books, 2001).
Many are going through hard times. There are two things we must remind them to do (and this comes into view as the greatest gift we can give them).
Firstly, be still. Relax and reflect on what God has done in the past and rest assured He will be exalted in the future. So in the meantime, we have nothing to fear (in a world filled with fear).
Secondly, know that the God we serve is greater than any opponent. So, as I travel to Africa, I am asking God to be with me, be my fortress, and go before me to conquer any opposition.
What about you? Are you going through hard times? Sit quietly and yet confidently in this statement: “Be still and know that I am God.”