When was the last time you were completely still and completely focused on God? I would imagine for most of us it’s been a while. Even when we are still our minds wander, countless thoughts and ideas flow through our heads. Late last week I found myself highly distracted. I was having trouble concentrating on pretty much anything. I was worried about my family, I was concerned about getting stuff done, my knee was really sore, which was making me angry. I knew I needed to spend some quality time in silence and solitude. It just so happens that I am reading a book on those very topics for Bible study.  I’m sure played into my decision to try and get away for a few minutes and just be quiet and still. My eyes traveled to a verse I have painted on my wall Psalms 46:10 which says “Be still and know that I am God”. I knew that was exactly what I needed to do, so I opened my Bible to that passage and began reading. 

The entire verse reads “He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”(NIV) I began to think about the phrase “know that I am God”. The question that came to mind was “how does one know God”? As I thought and journaled through that question, I began thinking through the things I know about God. Which is different than knowing God. But it helped me to where I ended up. One of the things I was reminded of is that God is God. He always has been and always will be. Here is what that means:

• The same God that created the entire world is the One I pray to now.
• The same God that parted the Red Sea for Moses, is the same one I know today.
• The same God that knocked down the walls of Jericho, and saved Jonah from the belly of a fish, is the same God that helps me today.
• The same God that enabled a boy named David to defeat a giant named Goliath is the same God that goes with me into battle today.
• The same God that walked on water is still right here with me today, extending His hand and saying “come on and step out of the boat”.
• The same God that healed the blind, made the lame walk and raised Lazarus from the dead is the same God I seek help from today. 

God doesn’t change, He is more mighty and more powerful than I give Him credit for each and every day. Why is it that I think He can’t heal my knee pain, or help my daughter get a handle on her classroom. Why do I doubt His ability to solve problems and find solutions? Maybe it’s partly because I’m too focused on what I want or how I would “fix”. I doubt that any of the Bible Heroes we are talking about thought God would come through in the way He did. They just trusted and obeyed.

This thought process made we wonder if other translations read the same way, this is what I found:

(CSB)“Stop your fighting, and know that I am God;

(NASB)Cease striving and know that I am God; 

(MSG)“Step out of the traffic! Take a long, loving look at me, your High God.

Isn’t it interesting that the “be still” part takes on more meaning when you read it in other translations? “Stop fighting”, “Cease striving” and “step out of traffic”, all are ways to “be still”. Is it any wonder that we are distracted and incapable of being still when we are doing all those things? What if this week we all just stopped for a few minutes each day, and focused on what God wants to tell us? What if this week we refocused our hearts and minds on God each morning? 

We all have things that need to be done, I’m not saying we should stop working, stop serving, stop trying to improve our lives. I’m saying what if we allowed God to lead our steps, and set our priorities by setting aside just 10 minutes each day to “be still, stop fighting and cease striving”? What if we spend some time pondering just how Big our God really is!  If you are up for a challenge read all of Psalms 46, slowly thinking, praying and even journaling through each verse. You might be surprised what you learn and where God takes you.