Be Still

Psalms 46:10 Be still and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

There are two words worth our attention this morning, (1) Still, and (2) Know. In order to understand and appreciate it’s meaning, let’s break each word down.

The word STILL comes from the Hebrew word “rapah”, a verb meaning “to become slack”, to relax”, to cease and desist”, “to become discouraged”, “to let go”, “to forsake”, and “to abandon”. Throughout the O.T., this word “rapah”(still) appears forty-five times, often with the word “yad”, meaning “hand”, which requires careful translation within the context of a particular passage.

The word KNOW comes from the Hebrew word “yada”, a verb meaning “to know”, “to learn”, “to perceive”, “to discern”, “to experience”, “to know relationally”, “to be made known”, and “to make oneself known”. I can see your faces now, what in the world is he talking about? LOL

This one verse is loaded with Initiatives God proposes to do for us. First, He says Be Still, what does this mean? When you have a semi-colon in a sentence, it means you can read the last part of the sentence first or the first part of the sentence last, which doesn’t change the meaning or context. So let’s reverse it for a minute. I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth: Be still and know that I am God. These are declarative statements from God who ALREADY knows what needs to be done. Look carefully at the transliterations of the word STILL. Remember, the word “yad” gives STILL a “careful translation within the context of a particular passage.

Now, the passage is saying, whatever foregone conclusions YOU have, SLACK off from your ideas in the face of mine saith the Lord that are permanent and fulfilling. RELAX your plans and agenda because mine is the ONLY one that leads to the destination I have for you. The Lord is saying, let me DISCOURAGE you from pursuing a route or a person that’s not beneficial to you. In order to grasp what I’m telling you saith the Lord, meditation is required. Why do you think Jesus did what He did in Mark 1:35. If the mind is constantly excited and active, filled with thoughts NOT helpful towards discerning God, we place ourselves in a difficult position.

We need QUIET TIME to focus on God and His WORD. I’m suggesting we find a place where we can let it all hang out for the Lord. It is when we release ourselves from PRE-CONCEIVED ideas in terms of what believe God is saying to us, that we position ourselves for His greatest revelations. Which leads to the next word, KNOW.

The Lord wants us to KNOW Him, not just about Him. Studying the WORD enables us to zero in on God in ways we never imagined. The WORD will tell us what God thinks and feels about a given situation. For us to just read it and don’t apply it, we fail to LEARN or EXPERIENCE the “change” God is trying to make in our lives.

It’s important to remember, that God is Holy, Absolute, Sovereign, and all the rest. We cannot tell God WHAT should be done, HOW it should be done, WHERE it should be done, and WHY it should or shouldn’t be done! We must become empty vessels before a full fountain, letting Him pour into our lives living waters. God is trying to lead us to a deeper walk with Him where everyday you can KNOW Him and His will. You can walk in confidence because you and the Lord have talked OPENLY about YOU. He wants us to know Him RELATIONALLY, not just religiously!

This word KNOW is based on God making Himself known to us, but are we STILL enough to discern what He’s doing. He has carved a clear path for each of us, even with the mistakes of our past. Romans 8:28 helps us understand that God will cause all things to WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD to them that LOVE Him and are CALLED according to His PURPOSE. We can only receive this experience with the Lord when we are STILL, then He will cause us to KNOW that He is God!