"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).
For a long time, I didn't know what this verse meant, exactly. I figured that it was written to remind us to trust in God. While that is true, it was written for an even bigger purpose.
When this specific Psalm was written, it was a time of war between the psalmist and his nation and a nation that was most likely pagan. The psalmist cries out to God and proclaims His mighty name and power. The psalmist knows that God is on control and will protect him and his people in the midst of the battle because God has told him to, "Be still and know that I am God."
When God commands us to be still, He is telling us to let go and trust in Him. He is reminding us that the battle is His. Whatever we're facing in life, we must give it to Him. He will fight for us.
Most of the time, we feel the need to be independent and to do everything on our own. Whether it's to prove ourselves or if it's because we want to feel good about being able to do it alone, we all do it. We want to take things into our own hands because being in control helps us to feel better. We don't like giving it all to somebody else because we can't predict how it will go. But that's exactly what God tells us to do.
God wants us to surrender to Him. He wants us to let Him in and give Him every struggle we face and every battle we fight. That's why He clearly tells us to let go and trust that He has it. He will step in for us and He will fight our battles.
To be still is hard. In a world that is so noisy and chaotic, it's hard to find peace despite it all. Being still and letting go isn't just for times when we are busy and life isn't going our way. It's for when the enemy is attacking us with everything he has. We must be still when we feel anxious, scared, sad, angry, and overwhelmed. We must breathe and ask God to fill us with His peaceful presence. We must learn to take heart and know that He, the Almighty God has overcome the world and He can overcome anything we face in life.
In John 16, Jesus says, "A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me. I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world," (John 16:32-33).
Jesus tells us that we will face all kinds of trials in life. We will be alone, we will be scattered and separated, and we will be troubled, but He will overcome any giant we face. There is so much hope in that. We mustn't lose that faith in Him because He will fight for us and He will conquer whatever it is that's holding us down.
When we let go and know that He will defeat our foes, His name will surely be exalted. All the glory will be His because we gave Him our weaknesses and in return, He gives us His strength.
The next time you are fighting a losing battle, give it to Him and trust in His power and might. Let His peace flood your soul and praise His faithful name. He will fight for you, you need only be still, (Exodus 14:14). He will be your deliverance.
