There are a couple of notable times in the Bible when God told His people to “be still”. One was with Moses at the Red Sea. The other is in Psalm 46, which gets more fascinating the more I read it. A third passage of interest is Psalm 107. It has a section that looks awfully similar to one of Jesus’ miracles. Let’s explore….
Be Still, and Let God Handle It
But Moses said to the people, “Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the LORD which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever. The LORD will fight for you while you keep silent.”
Exodus 14:13-14
The story is familiar to everyone who has seen the movie (although, I doubt that Moses really looked like Charlton Heston!) After plagues escalating all the way to the death of every Egyptian first-born child, the Pharaoh finally let the Hebrews go…only to renege and chase after them. Finding themselves trapped between the Egyptian army and the Red Sea, the ex-slaves panicked. I can’t say that I blame them!
They asked Moses “Is it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness?” He responded with “The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent.” Then, that’s exactly what God did.
When faced with seemingly insurmountable odds, our inclination is still to panic. And there is still no need to do so. God is still God, with the power and the willingness to protect those who trust in Him.
Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.
Matthew 5:44; Romans 12:17-18; 1 Peter 2:23
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Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men…If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.
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When he [Christ] was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.
Although without the actual words “Be still”, these verses describe another circumstance when we should do so: When we are verbally attacked, insulted, or treated badly 1. We want to charge in and fight for our rights. We want to turn the tables, get revenge, make them pay. But Jesus gives a different way to approach life. He tells us to relax, to “chill”, to be still and to trust God to deal with the situation as He sees fit.
Be Still, and Know God
He says, “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 NIV
This psalm tells us of another way that we need to be still: We need to quiet the noise in our mind in order to hear, worship, appreciate, and commune with God. It is expressed in a beautiful thought attributed to an old peasant when asked about the long hours he spent in prayer: “I look at Him, and He looks at me, and we are happy.”
Although many translations use the words “be still” to convey the meaning of the original Hebrew word (rāp̄â) in this verse, some use others that give us interesting additional perspective. The NASB translation uses the words “cease striving”. The Common English Bible says “That’s enough!” The Good New Translation decided on “Stop fighting.” All are trying to teach us to relax and let ourselves be aware of God’s greatness.
Full disclosure: I am AWFUL at this. My body may be still, but my mind is running 100 miles an hour. The more I try to focus on God in the stillness, the more any number of other thoughts intrude. This kind of stillness and prayer is a discipline that requires practice. I apparently need much more practice!
By the way, the rest of Psalm 46 is interesting for a different reason. Our verse 10 is the most well-known. Also popular is verse 1: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” But the rest of the psalm describes something very similar to Revelation’s description of the end of the age and the remaking of the world:
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change
And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea;
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There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
The holy dwelling places of the Most High.
God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved
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The nations made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered;
He raised His voice, the earth melted.
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Come, behold the works of the LORD,
Who has wrought desolations in the earth.
He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth;
He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two;
He burns the chariots with fire.
And then:
Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
I find the parallels to be very interesting!
Be Still, Storm and Sea.
He caused the storm to be still,
So that the waves of the sea were hushed.
When you read the verse above, do you picture Jesus calming the storm on the sea of Galilee? That is certainly what it seems like. But, no, it is Psalm 107:29 instead. Gotcha! 😁
This psalm is a poem reviewing instances of God’s rescue. It has several matching stanzas, each with the pattern:
- Describe a hopeless problem.
- “Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble; He saved them out of their distresses.“
- Describe God’s intervention.
- “Let them give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkindness, and for His wonders to the sons of men!“
- End with praise to God “For He has…” acted on their behalf.
In verses 23-32, the problem was a storm at sea. God’s intervention was to calm the storm and guide them to a safe harbor.
The disciples would have been familiar with this psalm. It was used as a hymn in corporate worship. No wonder they were amazed when they woke Jesus during the storm and…..
And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
Mark 4:39 KJV
Their reaction was “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?” Who, indeed!
Be Still, and Obey
Even the wind and waves obeyed when Christ told them to “Be still”. In stillness and peace based on trust in Him, life is calmer and happier.
Maybe we should give it a try………..