Whatever was breaking that day didn’t turn the world upside down.
Do you remember what was happening in the news broadcast one year ago today? Probably not. Still, when we get anxious, it is helpful to remind ourselves what God has done–to “behold the works of the Lord.”Īs part of this strategy, you should unfollow the caustic friend on Facebook and turn off the news for one day or one week. Yes, conflicts still erupt, and injustice requires voice and action. In the midst of all of the turmoil, God is with us and will deliver His people. Although the world situation as it comes to us through 24-hour news seems negative and out of control, this psalm reminds us that God is in charge of it all.
This psalm shows us that people have been concerned about world events throughout time. When we “behold the works of the Lord,” we notice God’s deliverance, and this assures us that we can be still and know that He is God and rest in His power and security. So how are we to be still or cease striving? We are to “behold the works of the Lord. It isn’t until verse 10 that God Himself tells us to “Be still, and know that I am God.” So verse eight is a personal invitation to the people of Jerusalem to come and look at the destruction of their enemies and witness God’s complete deliverance: He saved His people once again. For example, in 2 Chronicles 32:20-21, an angel of God destroyed the Assyrians in their camp. Psalm 46 was likely written after defeating one of Judah’s enemies, when God did the defeating. Verse eight tells us to “Behold the works of the Lord,” and it is intriguing to think about what those works might have been. So, what are we to do? How can we “cease striving” as some translate “be still”? How are we to accomplish such peace and trust? The clues are back in verses eight and nine of Psalm 46. We are rarely still, tossing and turning in our sleep, and we hardly ever live like God is God, and we are not.
Yet if we’re honest with ourselves, we have trouble living it. We long to feel this deep and lasting harmony, to rest in God’s peace and power. We put it on posters, write it in encouragement cards, and say it during times of turmoil. We buckle under the weight of it all and try to prop each other up with the words of Psalm 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God.” It’s one of the most famous verses in the Bible. Headlines swirl, nations rage, marriages strain, children stray, storm clouds loom. It can be easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of everything going on in today’s world.
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