Psalm 46

I don’t know which translation of The Bible you have, but I hope that it is one that worded v. 10 in this way “Be still, and know that I am God;”
Stop fighting, Cease striving, let go of your concerns, are what some different translations say.

Those are all good ways of expressing the idea of that verse that we should
Stop trying to fix our problems so much, and allow God to work in us.

But there is something really cool about the wording “Be Still”. It gives the picture of stopping anything else that you are doing, and just being still, doing nothing and relaxing.

I know that sometimes this is difficult, especially for young people. Attention spans are short. The media bombards us with so many things so quickly. Our senses are stimulated way too quickly. Culture moves so fast. We have instant messages, e mail, huge amounts of info in just a “click”. We are too busy. We have too many items on our “plate” in life. It is hard to just stop, sit, and be still.

However, young people today also have the reputation of being slow and even lazy. SLACKERS has been a word to describe the present generations of young folk. This is actually a GOOD quality, in light of this verse. Young (and old) people need to exercise their ability to slack more often. We need to take more time to just sit and “be still”.

But it’s not slacking and being still for nothing. The purpose for being still in v. 10 is “…(to) know that I am God.” We should strive to take time each day, to just sit and be still and know that God is. “Know” implies that we are gaining in “know”ledge. We are seeking to learn more and more each day about God and our relationship with him.

How? Take time each day to just be still, read scripture, meditate on it, and pray. It is hoped that this devotion book will help you to do that. I would encourage you to commit time each day for it. It doesn’t take much. Start with even something small, and soon you will find yourself wanting to read and pray for much longer times.

Be still! Relax! Slack a little!! Enjoy the stillness with God. Let him speak to you and increase your knowledge of him. – Richard M.