I asked my editor and writing partner, Julie Link, to offer some thoughts for this month’s blog post. Julie is always a blessing to me and this post will prove a blessing to you …
***
I am not a busy person. My children are not in the home, I do not have a full-time job, and I have few scheduled activities. I thought these years would be quiet. But I have learned that my spirit is not quiet: I fret over my husband’s work, I worry about my children and grandchildren, I hurt for the sorrows of my friends, and I agonize that I cannot solve any of their challenges. I am not still.
I am familiar with the Lord’s invitation, “Be still, and know that I am God,” and I have often used it as a prod to rehearse God’s attributes: He is omnipresent, He is immovable, He is omnipotent. But why has my heart not rested in those truths? Surely the fault is not in God’s words, so it must be in my understanding. What am I missing? This morning I decided to revisit the phrase in its context.
Psalm 46 does not begin with God’s words; it begins with the psalmist’s simple affirmation: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” God’s omnipresence means that He is always with me and always with those I love. Always. I do not need to worry that my husband is alone in his work; God is with him to will and to act according to His good purpose. “Therefore,” says the psalmist, “we will not fear.” God’s omnipresence is not an abstract truth meant only for theological apology; it is a practical truth that should fill me with relief and comfort.
The psalmist’s second affirmation is in verse 5: “God is in the midst of [His people; they] shall not be moved.” The world is rife with natural disasters, wars, political conflict, and relational strife. Though the results of sin are tragic and very real, they remain under God’s firm and purposeful control. He promises to use every event and circumstance to refine and strengthen His children. And in the midst of the refining fire, God is with us, calm, immovable, sovereign. With this truth, I can leave my children and grandchildren in the loving hands of their heavenly Father.
The psalmist also affirms God’s omnipotence. Verse 6 says, “The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; He utters His voice, the earth melts.” No matter how many empires vie for dominion, God owns His creation and controls it with the power of His word. What greater confidence can there be than God’s omnipotence protecting His people? If God can melt the earth with His voice, surely I can trust Him to walk with my friends through illness and relational strife.
Now I see the reason for my fretting: I had divorced God’s attributes from the circumstances of my daily life. My thinking had been theologically accurate but practically empty. May God forgive my lack of trust and strengthen me with the truth of His Word. “The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.” I will be still.
Liked this post? Follow this blog to get more.