Psalm
46
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.
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.
Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Come and see what the Lord has done,
the desolations he has brought on the earth.
He makes wars cease
to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields with fire.
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
I have always
liked to pray either early in the morning or late at night. It just seems that
I am more focused and can more readily sense God’s
presence at the beginning or the end of a day.
Years ago, while
in graduate school, I was struggling with several big decisions in my life.
Late one night I intentionally walked out by a small lake just to pray for God’s
guidance. I climbed up on a small lifeguard’s
chair and prayed silently as I looked out over the calm, dark waters. After
maybe 30 or 45 minutes of both pouring out my heart and asking God all kinds of
questions, I hadn’t really gotten any direction or insight, so I said, “Amen” and climbed down from the chair. I felt a bit
disappointed because it seemed God had not been anywhere near the lifeguard
chair that night.
As I turned to
start walking back to my apartment I suddenly sensed a presence behind me; as
if someone was sneaking up behind me. The presence was so enormous and so near
that it startled me. I spun around to see who or whatever it was. Nothing. Just
the dark lake. Then in the stillness of that moment I sensed his voice, “I am with you; and I have always
been with you.” Then, just
like that, the presence was gone and it was just me and the lake.
In 1 Kings we
find the well-known story of Elijah as he hid in a cave fearful of those who
were seeking his life.
The
Lord said, “Go out and stand on
the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”
Then
a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks
before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an
earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a
fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle
whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out
and stood at the mouth of the cave.
Then
a voice said to him, “What are you doing
here, Elijah?” 1 Kings 19:11-13
The voice, of
course, was the voice of God himself, who encourages and strengthens Elijah to
continue his prophetic ministry. God shows Elijah that his power and presence
is manifested not only in dramatic demonstrations of wind, earthquake and fire;
but also in a whisper. Elijah knew all about dramatic expressions of God’s
power. He had witnessed fire fall from heaven to consume a sacrifice and defeat
the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18); but what he needed now was the reassurance
of God’s gentle whisper.
I think that’s
what the writer is talking about at the end of Psalm 46:
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
The Hebrew word
translated “Be still” carries
the meaning of ceasing to strive, to let one’s
hands fall, to relax and rest.
When was the
last time you were still enough to hear the gentle whisper of God? Maybe it’s
time to turn off the T.V., cell phone and laptop; maybe it’s
time to cease your striving, your working, your doing, and just be still...and
listen for his voice.
Lord,
Forgive me
for filling my days with so much noise and activity that I fail to listen for
your voice. Teach me to be still and wait for you; teach me to hear your gentle
whisper. Amen.
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