Still!

Still!

‭Psalm 46:10 KJV‬

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

'Still' is defined as 'deep silence and calm'. One of the implications of this definition is that there has to be an opposite situation for the definition above to have impact. If there were no storms, how do you appreciate deep silence and calm? If there were no realities of raging winds and threats of danger, how can a heart fully appreciate the possibilities that God can make happen in the face of these realities? The definition also speaks to the state of the inner man, not the things that are happening on the outside. We love to keep up appearances, and give the image of calm even when things are not going according to plan. There is nothing wrong with that, but it is important to ensure that the calm is first the state of my inner man, before I strive to fit it into my outer expressions. 

I may pretend before men like myself, but God cannot be fooled by the outward. It is in deep silence and calm that God is able to speak and address the issues of my life. If I can take care of issues by myself, then I do not really need God. If human power or might was sufficient, God would not encourage me to trust Him. He knows what life will throw at me, and He knows that by myself, I will not survive. He introduces Himself as God, who is the embodiment and personification of total authority, sufficient grace and amazing help, the kind that no man on earth can give you. If I am labouring by my power to solve issues, how would I know when God steps in, and how would I recognise His kind intervention in my affairs? He wants to help, but I must let Him be God in my life. 

This is the power of surrender: it tells God that I am willing for him to take over and show Himself as God. The other part of the verse above lays it out clearly: God will be exalted among the heathen, and he will be exalted in all the earth. With or without my help and cooperation, God is able to show Himself strong. The earth is His creation, and creation always answers to the authority of its creator. The trees of the field or the birds of the air are not given an option. The one part of God's creation that has been given the power to choose a response is man. Man is the one who needs to learn to allow God have His way. Fretting, worrying or self-help have never worked; being still, and then moving according to His instructions are the choices that will take me to the fulfilment of God's purpose for me. Would you let go and let God? God's time of favour is here.