February 6- Be Still And Know


Good morning!  Happy February! I find it hard to believe that the first week of February has passed and our term as deacons is complete.  It has been a wild ride with so many joys, like getting to know each of you just a little bit better, and so many sorrows, like the sharing of the deaths of so many loved ones. We have missed those of you who have moved to other cities, and been happy to meet those of you who have joined our congregation. We look forward to seeing you all in person real soon (If all goes well).  We wish you all well and hope you find ways to enjoy yourselves in spite of capricious weather and ever changing pandemic restrictions. 

 

This morning we will continue our series looking at a Scripture passages important to people from our congregation. Our focus today will be Psalm 46, especially verse 10a which says "Be still and know that I am God." (NLT,NIV,KJV)

 

These words conjure in my head peaceful sounds of the flowing melody to which they are often sung. I love the quiet assurance that God is, the calming call for us to be still. There is a reason our congregation and others have used this to call each other to silent meditation.

 

Reading the rest of the Psalm, however, I hear a fluctuation between the assurance of God's presence and power, and anxiety that the world is falling apart. Our modern ears do not quite catch the seriousness of the roaring seas, which speak of uncontrollable chaos, and the trembling mountains, then seen as the pillars that held the world together. The psalmist continues to express God's goodness and power, but also refers to the danger around them, recognizing that people cannot ignore their world collapsing.

 

Reading this Psalm in Common English Bible provided a bit of a shock. I had to ask which verse said Be still and Know. The translation in this version says “That’s enough! Now know that I am God!.." This brings a different sense to this verse. This is not a calm, reassuring statement but a declarative command - stop worrying, stop complaining, Know that God is God!

 

Sometimes we need the calm reassurance to help us when we are despondent or feeling contemplative, but sometimes we need to be shocked out of our anxious ramblings and reminded to be still! Stop it! Stop worrying! Stop listing everything that could go wrong! Stop trying to convince yourself that God is still God even though the world is falling apart! Just stop! Be quiet! KNOW that God is God, don't just think maybe. God is God not "even though" - God is God always, and people from all over know that. We can too.

 

So, whether you are in a calmer state and find reassurance in being called to stillness, or whether you are anxious and your mind is racing over all the evil and injustice in the world and you need to be bluntly told to be still! this verse can speak to you.

 

Think about it this week, and know that God is with you. The same powerful God, who is exalted among all nations throughout the world cares about you and your well being. What a wonderful thought. Be still, and know.

 

May you feel God's power all around you as you go through your week and face whatever challenges this week brings. May you find time to be still and know that God is God, and God loves you!

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Lent 4 - From Exceptionalism to Inclusion

This week we celebrate that God loves us all!  Last week we were reminded that God doesn't ask us to earn our way into God's good graces, that we are already there.  This week we are reminded that the "us" that God loves includes everyone.  There is no us and them, we are all "us:" Beloved children of God. This seems to be a difficult concept for most human beings.  We seem to define ourselves as opposed to others - focussing on our differences. Somehow it makes us feel more worthy, more valuable, if we are accepted somewhere that others aren't. Sometimes we like to have the inside scoop and to share this as gossip to show how "in" we are. Sometimes it seems we need a "them" so we can feel acknowledged as a part of "us". This is not the way God works. The Gospel passage for this week is Luke 15:1-3 (Some Pharisees questioning Jesus), and 11b-32 (The parable often called the parable of the prodigal son or the parable of the f...
Read more

Be Angry but do not sin

February is fast coming to an end and spring will soon be upon us - at least we hope so! May the changing seasons bring hope for the brighter days ahead. The Scripture passage chosen for this morning is a short one, Ephesians 4:26: " Be angry without sinning.   Don’t let the sun set on your anger. " (CEB) At first glance this seems a very straight forward instruction, with not much to talk about. But let's think about anger. It is a complex emotion, often hiding other feelings and emotions.  Sometimes hurt, worry, frustration, or even hunger can manifest as anger. Sometimes i t can be easier to lash out than to deal with a situation and the fear, insecurity, or frustration it causes. I don't think these are the times that Ephesians is talking about when it says "Be angry."  These are the times when we need to recognize what is really going on and deal with the issue and the true feelings within us. These are times when we need to remember the part about not ...
Read more

May 22 - We Declare. . . Old Testament Biblical Perspective

Image
  In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.... And  so begins the story of God's relationship with the earth and, a few verses later, with humankind, who were made in God's image. From the very beginning we were made for relationship with God and God keeps reaching out to us. We keep making mistakes and messing things up, and God keeps calling and welcoming us back. This is the story of the Bible.  This is the good news God offers. God keeps reaching out. Too often we write off the Hebrew Bible, or Old Testament, as irrelevant once Jesus came on the picture. Jesus, himself, however, said that he was the fulfilment, not the annulment, of all the went before. Jesus is the embodiment of God's love for and compassionate call to humankind, shared through story, poetry, prophesy, and song in the Old Testament. Often, when we try to read the Old Testament stories, we get caught up in the violence, in ancient cultural and scientific understandings that are so f...
Read more