Know that I am God

PSALM 46

Fill in the blank for verse 10: “____ __________ and know that I am God”. Such a simple verse, and it is so easy to forget that it comes as part of an entire psalm, not ever intended to simply stand on its own.

Now is a troubling time in society for lots of reasons. I guess in many ways it’s always been that way, or maybe it’s always been seen that way for God’s people. It has also been a troubling time for me personally, and not because of the world around me, and not because of what others may do that could affect me, but because of this: I have found myself working against the Lord and His direction.

That’s kind of like me trying to move an old oak tree by pushing it with my hands, or expecting a mountain to relocate if I lean on it hard enough. I know it won’t happen, and if my family would watch out the back window and see me trying to move by hand even our measly 11-year-old maple tree, they would think I was crazy. I could grunt and groan and pull and push and become exhausted, and obviously nothing will be accomplished. Then if I were to do that day after day after day, well, they would probably need to find me some help, and I don’t mean help to move the tree!

When one is in the midst of troubling times, what is he to do? OK, we’re talking about a psalm, and the bible, and God, and so the obvious answer is “turn to Him.” It has become so automatic a response that it can lose its urgency, its clear call to help one find his way out of despair and terrific danger. But we tend to not live life with that urgency, we have it pretty good, and so troubles and trials can go unchecked or pushed aside, because honestly, life IS good here where we live. This verse above has been on my mind for a while now, I sat to read its context to get a better understanding.

I regularly read the NASB, and recently I acquired an old (pre-1995 update) copy very cheap. Many consider the NASB to be “wooden”, I still haven’t figured out why, but hey, the ark was made of wood, so I figured they were saying good things about my bible. It is a very literal-reading text, and so I like that its translators tried diligently to present the actual, closest English words that would make sense to us, when they translated the texts. Yet I also love to compare texts, what does the ESV, or KJV, or NIV say? And why all this? Well, when I plopped open my bible last night to look for this one verse, I found the whole psalm and began to read.

I know God is my refuge and strength, but I can forget that he is a very PRESENT help in times of trouble. God does not move. He’s there. Look at all the natural and man-made disasters that could occur in the psalm (earthquakes, wars), God is in the middle of it ALL, He will not move. People on the earth made all kinds of chaos, and the psalmist says God simply raised His voice, and the earth melted. Such will be the case someday.

But what am I to do with God, this God who protects and cares and does not move? Well I could try to push Him, and get Him to do what I want to do, or I can turn to Him for support and protection, both in the big and small things in life.

OK, did you fill in the blanks above? All those other versions I mentioned say “Be still… The NASB says “Cease striving and know that I am God”. Cease striving, literally “let go and relax”. How can I be “still”? It was good to say it, but how do I do it? When I read “cease striving”, I knew. I have been pushing so hard on the Lord, working so hard against His will, and eventually that can only lead to exhaustion, because He does not move. He’ll move me, if I let Him, but He is the stable one, the solid one, He is that very present help in times of trouble. He’s that very present help when life is good, too. I very much needed (and still need) to relax and let Him work in me.

In the second part of verse 10, God says “I will be exalted”. Life, now and later, eternally, is about Him. Join me in praying that we will let Him move us, that we will stop trying to move Him. Both options are hard, but only one will actually work and result in joy. God is with us. Amen? Amen.