Relax – He’s God! Pt1

“Be still, and know that I am God!” (Ps 46:10 NIV)

This is probably one of the most quoted verses in the Bible; think about it, how often have you quoted it or had someone say it to you? It seems to be a handy verse in almost any situation. But sometimes I wonder if we haven’t used it so much that it has lost some of its poignancy; it feels like it has become a faded water colour painting rather than retaining the punchy vibrancy of a fresh oil painting.
This reminded me of something I heard on the news just the other day where the NSPCC was being criticised for desensitising people by barraging them with deliberately shocking adverts. So much so that people have lost sight of the good work they actually do for children in danger!

We have heard the words of this verse so often that we have become desensitised to its power [and the release and victory it brings]. We may hear it regularly, but how often do we actually listen to it, never mind obey it?!
Saying that, what does it actually mean? If we break it down perhaps we will unlock something inside of us.

Be still
When I was younger my dad used to take us all out for long walks in the woods near us [no matter what the weather was like]. I don’t know why mum allowed this because more often than not we’d return muddy and covered in cuts and scrapes… it was great.
On one occasion I recall us finding a fantastic rope swing which [when jumped upon bravely] swung us out over a deep gully – for a moment it felt like you were flying! When it came to my turn my sister, overcome with helpful enthusiasm [wanting to see her brother go higher than anyone else], gave me a hearty push. Unfortunately I had not grabbed hold of the swing and so dived into the gully with great momentum. Thankfully my fall was broken by a thorny bush, the downside of this was a rather stomach turning injury. When I had climbed out and thanked my sister appropriately for her assistance in my [mis]adventure I realised that I had a 2 inch long thorn sticking in the wrist. When I say ‘sticking in’ I mean it was deep in my wrist, how it had not hit a vein I will never know. I went to pull it out but I couldn’t because every time I touched it I could feel in move inside my wrist! I just couldn’t pull it out and this began to panic me.
Dad then turned up to help. He tried to assess the situation but I wouldn’t let him anywhere near it (by then it was really hurting).
“You have to be still.” He said.
“I can’t! It really hurts!” I wasn’t going to cry but I wanted to – the thorn was really freaking me out now!
“Stand still!” Dad grabbed my arm in such a manner that I could move it and with no trouble at all plucked the thorn from my wrist. Even though it hurt loads while I was fussing I don’t actually recall it hurting when Dad removed it. I can’t remember whether we told mum about all of this.

Often when we pray about something that’s troubling us we want a quick response from God. We want to get out of the situation quickly, so much so that if we think that God is being slow or ‘unhelpful’ we will try to wriggle our way out even when it hurts more to do so. What is more we openly reject the notion that perhaps we are in a situation so that God might teach us something; we become impatient and frantic, constantly worrying, even doubting that God can hear us at all.
However, in this Psalm we are told to be still. Still. Quiet. Calm. At peace. God is in control.

- Lois Bennett (& Andrew Carey)