Jun 12, 2018

Be Still and Know | Psalm 46



This year, like most, my family is raising a garden.  Actually, we're raising at least three gardens.  It turned out that our main garden didn't have enough room for my brother's giant pumpkins, so that got its own plot.  And then the cabbage, melons, and garlic were moved to their own plot.  Basically, our family is raising a lot of gardens and vegetables and berries and fruit.  

The green beans are starting to twirl their vines upward, and we're beginning to find the baby cucumbers and tomatoes.  Yet for a while we were in a slow spot.  We planted the seeds, watered the ground, and waited.  And we wondered if we would ever be able to finally hold our produce in our hands.

Naturally, I've become impatient.  I busily spend my time and glance occasionally at the garden, wondering if it will actually ever be fruitful.

But my brother is different.  Every spare moment, I see him walking through his pumpkins.  He kneels to touch every minuscule plant, to know when to pollinate every flower.  He knows which fruit is budding and is ready with a hoe to attack the sharp weeds that press up on each side.

We've both worked in the garden, but there's a difference.  I'll do the hard work, but I won't sit still and wait patiently for the results.

He's tuned to the condition of his gardens, while I'm not.  And it makes me wonder if our spiritual lives are ever like that.
























So often, I find myself rushing through life.  My eyes turn from one activity to the next.  I want to do hard things for Jesus, be bold, see fruit from my work, and yet I'm not willing to sit in the garden, throw back my hair, and let wind press against my face while I watch flower bloom.

We forget what the Psalmist wrote.

Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!
- Psalm 46:10

Be still and know; let Jesus be enough.

If you study the psalm, the context of being still goes even deeper.  The Psalmist, one of the sons of Korah, raises his voice in praise to God.  To summarize the song, he declares that even if something happened as crazy as the mountains being moved into the midst of the sea, God is supreme.  He is over all.

The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved;
He uttered His voice, the earth melted.
- Psalm 46:6

"Suppose the whole world was falling apart," the psalmist seems to be saying, "with a God like ours, why would we fear?"

Be still and know; give up fear.

The last verse of the psalm is a line repeated all throughout the piece.

The LORD of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah
- Psalm 46:11

We can live in victory, do hard things, and still forget that the King of the universe is with us.  He literally hears our prayers and knows our fears.  He knows how we spend our time.  He knows when we wake up, barely brave enough to slip out of the covers.

God Himself is our refuge.  But we'll miss that if we're too busy fighting the enemy to stop, turn towards His tower of refuge, and seek safety inside.
























We can do all the right things and still miss the point if we are not being still and knowing that He is God.

Yes, we are supposed to do hard things for Jesus.  Yes, we shouldn't grow lax and lazy, living a meaningless life and not displaying the Gospel with our lives.  If we don't hoe down the weeds in our lives, fruit will struggle to grow.

But as I wrote in a post in April,

He is God, and He is in control. We can't let worry or tension invade our lives - be still. And we can't let our schedules rule our lives as we rush from to and fro without catching our breath - be still.
- 6 Ways to Rejoice in Jesus

My friend, if you want to know God in a personal way, let go of doing all the right things and be still in His presence.  Or if you struggle with fear and doubt, be still and realize that He is able to save.

And then step out.  Then do hard things for Jesus and with Jesus.

We need to do everything in life in order that we find more of Jesus.  Read our Bibles to find Him.  Do chores to find Him.  Respond to emails to find Him.

And sometimes, the best way to find Him is to be silent in His presence and know that He is God.  (read this post to discover practical ways to put this into practice).

Like we wait patiently for our gardens to produce fruit, wait on Jesus and let His presence be enough.  We could plow the ground, pull weeds, throw down fertilizer, and still miss the fruit if we don't take the time to kneel in the soil and be still.  Don't worry about the produce; give that up to the One who makes plants grow.

Savor His beauty and give up everything else.  It's not about doing all the right things.  It's about a relationship.

Friend, you're never alone.  And you are being loved.























You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you... do not fear or be dismayed.
- 2 Chronicles 20:17

Be still and know that He is God
Be still and know He is our Father
Come rest your head upon His chest
Listen to the rhythm of
His unfailing heart of love
Beating for His little ones
Calling each of us to come
Be still.
- Steven Curtis Chapman in Be Still and Know

~♥~


16 comments:

  1. Wow, beautiful post, Hosanna. I recently got a ring that says “Be still” and that’s such an important reminder. We need to first be still in His presence to do things with Him. The hard things we want to do for Jesus? We need to do it with Jesus.
    To be honest recently I’ve felt kind of distant from God - I still love Him and pray and read my Bible but I don’t feel as passionate. But I don’t want to be passive, I want to be passionate about Him.
    I love how you put it, “We need to do everything in our life in order that we find more of Jesus” - amen. I know that I need to seek Him and wait on Him but that’s a lot easier said than done.
    Anyways, thanks for sharing your thoughts with us and for your encouragment. Keep living for Him :).

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    1. Sarah, to tell the truth, I'm in a place similar to you. Recently, I've been feeling distant and distracted from Him; perhaps that's why I knew I needed to write this. Girl, it's so important to keep loving Him - keep being still - even when we don't feel the emotion. A friend recently told me that she had to struggle for joy, but somehow that seemed the purest form of joy because she fought for it. She claimed it in Christ. Similarly, we won't always feel the emotion of Love, but we must fight to Love Him anyway. ♥

      Haha, there's my challenge of the day for myself: that I would love, rejoice, be still even when I have to push through the dry times and search for the rivers of His goodness. You are so loved, Sarah. Thank you for the encouragement, dear friend!

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  2. Absolutely beautiful post, Hosanna and SO TRUE. You have an incredible spirit and this is such a wise post. Thank you for the reminder. I have to fight and struggle to be still - but those moments where I am are some of the best moments of communion with my Savior that I can remember.

    God bless you!

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    1. Ah, isn't God so faithful to reveal Himself when we are still in His presence?! And Alli, thank you especially for the encouragement you've given me - to not only seek to be radical but also to trust Him in the quiet times. I don't want to be distracted by the big things and miss out on the smaller yet sweet blessings. You're awesome, girly. ♥

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  3. I love how this post ties in so beautifully and intricately with other lessons the Lord has been teaching you. He weaves the tapestry of His work in your life.

    And with regards to you feeling distant and distracted from God (I skimmed your and Sarah's comments), my prayer for you is 2 Thessalonians 3:5.

    May the Lord direct your hearts into God<s love and Christ's perseverance.

    Amen

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    1. Thank you for the sweet encouragement, Jordy! I feel as if God did indeed make 2 Thessalonians 3:5 real for me this week... to direct my heart towards His love. You're prayers are so appreciated! I love when I am simply overwhelmed by His beauty, and recently His goodness has astounded me. ♥ I pray the same is true in your own life, dear friend.

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    2. I'm so glad to hear it, dear friend! Are there any specific testimonies of His overwhelming beauty that you would share?

      And thanks for praying for me, too. <3

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    3. Hello friend! After all this time, I'm here to share again. Actually, I wrote a long response a while ago that got deleted. But your question makes me ponder, so I'm thankful for the chance to re-think my answer.

      This week, I haven't felt as close to His love, but it has still been there even when I fail to embrace it fully. Yesterday I felt discouraged in writing and read something I had previously written, and God used that to just amaze me. And simple things - cutting weeds with a little brother, wearing a new shirt, singing praise songs with dear friends... those little moments are such reminders of His love. I now shake my head and wonder how I ever forget. Wow, He is so good!

      How as God reveled Himself to you, dear Jordy? Ah, it's so sweet to remember His promises and goodness. ♥

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    4. It's such a precious thing to recognise the Lord's hand in the little things and not to overlook the less significant gifts. I loved hearing of those little moments you mentioned.

      I'm in Japan, now, with a family that is very dear to me. The mother (of three little children) weaves biblical truths of everyday life into everything they do in terms that their young minds can grasp. Hearing her speak with them has felt as the Lord revealing Himself to me.

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    5. Ah, that is beautiful Jordy! Such a blessing to be in an environment where Jesus is shared in child-like truth. It reminds me of how He blessed the little children and loved them for their simple faith. Thank you for sharing, sweet friend!

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  4. Great post! And I like the pictures you put with it!
    -Brooklyne

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    1. Thank you, Brooklyne! I pray God draws you closer to His heart as you are still in His holy presence. ♥

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  5. this was so beautifully written - thanks for sharing <33

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    1. Thank you for the encouraging comment! May Christ be our everything as we let go of distractions and become still before Him. He is so very good!

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  6. Thank you for sharing such a deep post about being still and know He is God. So many times we rush around doing without taking time to just be with our Father. Great reminder!

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    1. I'm glad the reminder encouraged you! It's so important to step away from our busy lives and be silent in Jesus' presence. He is always faithful to reveal Himself when we seek Him with our whole heart. ♥

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