Be still, and know that I am God — Psalm 46:10
There is a lost art in our day. It is the art of quietness and contemplation. We seem to have lost the ability of being still. There always seems to be somewhere else to go or something else to do that I’m amazed we don’t meet ourselves somewhere on the way. We have so much that grabs our attention and captivates our thinking, but I’m afraid that they are so often the wrong things. I’m not necessarily talking about bad things or evil things, but things nonetheless that keep us from the best things.
We have forgotten how to be still. Some of the definitions of the word still is to cease, to leave, to let alone or to let go. I’ll agree that it is so hard sometimes to let things alone or to let go of certain things. Yet, there is the great need on occasion to do so. We have so many irons in the fire these days that at times we don’t know which handle to grab first. The psalmist clears that up for us in the verse. He says to be still, and know that I am God. Through all the busyness of our days and the bustle of our lives, we need to take some time to just let some things alone or let go of some things that we can focus our minds on Him.
The Apostle Paul challenged the Roman Christians in Romans 12:2 — “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed.” In other words, don’t let this world squeeze you into its mold, but be different or be changed. This world system, of which Satan is in command, seeks to change how we see things, how we think about things and what we believe about things. Our minds are constantly being bombarded with this world’s view about everything. So, Paul tells them not to be conformed but transformed. How can we do that? He goes on to say, by the renewing of your mind. The word “renew” means several things. It means to regain, to restore or to reaffirm. That can only be done by putting the right kinds of things into our minds to counter what the world seeks to put in them. So, the challenge of our day is to guard what we put in our minds. In computer lingo — input will determine output.
The only way we are going to be able to do this is by putting His Word in our minds daily. Before we start the day by hearing the world’s news and ideas, put in God’s Word as the foundation of what comes after that. Before we believe what the world system says, we need to run it through the filter of what God has to say. Again, the psalmist says, be still, and know that I am God. Let His Word reaffirm you, enlighten you and encourage you as you set out to face each day. Reminding you and reassuring you, that no matter what you see or hear He is still God.