Be Still and Know (?)
Photo by Melissa Askew on Unsplash
The scripture reads in Psalm 46:10, “Be still and know that I am God.” I’ve recited it often, yet admittedly I’ve not research its underpinnings. It was written during a time of war and it was a directive to God’s people to not only cease their actions, but alternatively a commandment to relinquish “control” and look to God to bring order. Welp. Each December as we near the end of the calendar year and engage in deep reflection, there is a tendency to attempt to make sense of the over 300 days that preceded this moment in time. As I engage in my personal “highlight” reel, I must accept that as much as I attempted to be still (often not by my own choosing) it’s the “knowing” part that gives me pause. The holy side of me reminds me of the history that I have with God and His unrelenting methodology of showing up each and every time; and then there is the hood side of me reminding me that God’s got a lot on His plate and I can just dip in, set order where there is chaos and then dip back in the “sanctuary of our God.” #Wrong Not “knowing” my place in "knowing” God hasn’t gotten me very far and this year was no exception.
What gets in the way of “knowing?” For me, it’s faking the still. When I think about stillness, it requires surrender. It doesn’t fight against the grain. It succumbs and with significant assurance. This year has been filled with physical pain in my body - from my back to my hand to my wrist to my foot - I’ve felt like an episode of Grey’s. Equally my minds’ been riddled with opportunities to trust God when the credits were seemingly rolling. Yet when I’ve elected to “be still” and not continue to attempt actions that cause harm or challenge to my body or mind, I’ve been at my best. What does it look like to truly be still in God? What does it look like to know the “I Am?” The I Am is filled with completeness. The I Am is not established for questioning as it is perfect in all its existence. If that is true (and it is) who am I in relation to the “I Am?” Even when I don’t know who I am, how I am going to overcome, when the change will occur, the great “I Am” is the answer amidst all of my questions. The “know” doesn’t represent any tangible information that I am able to document or determine, it is simple engrained in the knowledge of “I Am.”
In times of war then and in times of war now - in our personal lives, in the lives of those we love and in the country to which we live, we can still embrace Psalm 46:10. Over the last two weeks, two of my former colleagues and friends offered meditation sessions in a series my office organized. Both while sharing some distinctions required a common action. Each were built and delivered with the foundation of stillness. Stillness quiets our minds, our spirits, our nervous systems, our breath. Through the stillness we received the benefit of memory, to reconnect us to joy, laughter, sight and connection. If we port the practice to our spiritual lives and experiences, we can indeed be still in circumstances of uncertainty, confusion, pain and fear and reconnect with the God of yesterday, today and forevermore who allows us to be triumphant despite the opposition. As we move as adopted sons and daughters, our inheritance is rooted in whatever follows the “I Am.” Try it with me. “I Am victorious, I Am enough, I Am healed, I Am beautiful, I Am necessary.” Should the Lord allow us to cross over into 2026, may we be bold enough to trust in the One who is enough - even when we choose not to be still.