I love how God doesn’t just say, “Be still!” Can you imagine yourself in the middle of a war, guns blazing around you, bombs exploding, and someone tells you to just be still? How about being in the middle of an ocean on a little boat in the midst of a hurricane? As you run to and fro trying to keep the boat afloat someone says, “Sit down and be still!” What would you do? I can imagine many of us would ask if they were crazy and continue trying to protect ourselves from the danger around us.
Now maybe you haven’t been in the middle of a war or stuck on the ocean in a bad storm. Have you ever felt financial crisis? Have you ever had a loved one diagnosed with a severe disease? Have you ever been hurt by someone you loved? Have you ever felt like you were barely staying afloat? Would you stop if someone asked you to be still? You might try, but often times these trials plague your mind. They distract you from truly being still and knowing that He is God. You are so focused on making sure you can get the money to pay that bill, spend time with the sick friend, and forget the hurts in your life that even if you are physically still your mind cannot be stilled.
Notice that first it says, “He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth.” I love this! Before we are told to be quiet He ceases the storm. It’s not an immediate thing without any thought on our behalf, however. Earlier in this passage it says, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.” If you make God your refuge and strength you have NOTHING to fear! He will cease wars around and inside you! He will make it possible for you to really be still and know that He is God.
It’s a big step to put your safety and strength in the hands of another. To be fully dependent on someone other than yourself. It takes a lot of trust, but believe me – He is trustworthy!
“I lift up my eyes to the hills – where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip – he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over you – the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm- he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.” - Psalm 121
