Psalm 46:10, a well known passage of scripture, recited by many, written on coffee mugs, tshirts, home decor. But what does it mean to be still and know that He is God…that God is God?
The ESV and several other translations say “Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!”
“Be Still and Know”, what does that mean? To be still – stop, wait, quiet yourself…. And know…. See, recognize, understand, comprehend, realize. THAT HE IS GOD, God Almighty!
The NASB says “Stop striving and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the [b]nations, I will be exalted on the earth.”
“Stop striving and know that I am God” – this is probably the most relatable to me. When I wrote my song, Be Still, this is what I was struggling with. Doing and going.
To Strive – the definition is make great efforts to achieve or obtain something; to devote serious effort or energy; to struggle in opposition.
How many of us have tried to “make things happen” in our own power? Or thought everything depended on us?
God is so sweet and so kind to allow us to serve Him. He gives us assignments and calls us to go places and carry His Name. He gives us gifts and talents to use for Him. But He wants me more than the stuff I can do. He wants my heart and me to spend time with Him more than He wants me to ___________________________ you fill in the blank… He wants me to stop striving, to be still and remember who He is. A loving gracious God that wants to pour out His love on me and spend time with me.
The CSB says “Stop fighting, and know that I am God,
exalted among the nations, exalted on the earth.”
“Stop fighting and know that I am God” – Stop fighting your own battles, He sees you, He’s got you.
If we look at Biblical context – Psalm 46 is about God being victorious over every battle Jerusalem faced. It is a celebration, a reminder…that God was fighting for them, He is fighting for us, He is fighting for you.
Psalm 46
God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.[c]
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
Vs. 4 “There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God – the holy place where the Most High dwells.”
Did you know Jerusalem had no river? – here the river serves as a metaphor for the continual outpouring of the sustaining and refreshing blessings of God!
Verse 5
5 God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.
6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
7 The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
8 Come and see what the Lord has done,
the desolations he has brought on the earth.
Vs. 8 “Come and see what the Lord has done, the desolations He has brought on the earth.”… this is an invitation to see God’s victories in the world, it points to the Messiah’s unveiled victory!
Verse 9
9 He makes wars cease
to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields[d] with fire.
10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
Vs. 10 God’s voice breaks thru as he addresses the nations – Be still!
Be still in Hebrew means Enough!
Can’t you just hear God? “(Christy, enough!” Stop fighting the battle yourself! Stop striving and rest in me. Stop being so busy (doing even good things) that you don’t take time to be with me. Be still and know that I am God! Know…who He is! Know that He’s got you, He sees you, He loves you and is in complete control over your struggle, your hurt, your pain, over the ones you love, over your finances, your marriage, your kids. Be still and know that you can’t work hard enough, do enough, be enough to earn His love, He already loves you, He’s already fought for you and won, He just wants you. To love Him, to trust Him, to sit with Him. BE STILL AND KNOW. And then turn and EXALT HIM!!! I will be exalted in the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!!!
And then the last verse in this passage…
11 The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress. (A fortress is a stronghold!)
A Fortress (Stronghold; Castle Walls) is a large, permanent structure that surrounds a city to defend against attacks! The God of Jacob is our fortress – He surrounds you and defends you, God is a big, permanent fortress – He doesn’t leave when you mess up or make a mistake – He is keeping you and fighting for you.
But we don’t only have trouble with the being still we struggle with the knowing.
Now let’s turn to Isaiah 40:28-31
Isaiah 40:28-31
“Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the whole earth.
He never becomes faint or weary;
there is no limit to his understanding.
29 He gives strength to the faint
and strengthens the powerless.
30 Youths may become faint and weary,
and young men stumble and fall,
31 but those who trust in the Lord
will renew their strength;
they will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not become weary,
they will walk and not faint.
Revelation 1:8
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “the one who is, who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”
God is El Ohlam – which means the Everlasting God, Eternal God
Do we really know in our heart of hearts who God is? Maybe we do or we think we do but we need to be reminded and continue to remind ourselves who He is!
He is God, Creator of all things, Maker of Heaven and Earth, Alpha, Omega, Beginning and the End, He is Holy, He is Love, He is Sovereign, He is the great I AM.
And He – this big, incredible, holy God…loves you.
He …sees… you.
He knows your heartache.
He knows your desires.
He knows your shortcomings.
He knows and He is holding you and your cares in His hands.
Do you believe that, brothers and sisters?
Turn to Mark 4:35
Verses 35-41
On that day, when evening had come, he told them, “Let’s cross over to the other side of the sea.” 36 So they left the crowd and took him along since he was in the boat. And other boats were with him. 37 A great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking over the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. 38 He was in the stern, sleeping on the cushion. So they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher! Don’t you care that we’re going to die?”
39 He got up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Silence! Be still!” (the ESV says “Peace, Be Still!) The wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 Then he said to them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
41 And they were terrified[a] and asked one another, “Who then is this? Even the wind and the sea obey him!”
Let’s look closer… verse 35 he told them, Jesus told them “let’s cross over to the other side of the sea” Jesus had them get in the boat with Him. Do you think He knew what was going to happen?
If Jesus is your Savior, then you are in the boat with Him, He has invited you in and He is there with you…in the boat.
Did you know that the Sea of Galilee is situated with hills on every side and that it is prone to storms, especially that time of day? Do you think Jesus knew that?
Do you think He knows what kinds of storms are going on in your life? Or what storms you’re going to face?
Let’s press on, Jesus gets them in the boat, the storm arose…and they ask Jesus, “don’t you care?”
How many times have we said that to the Lord? Don’t you care, Lord? Can’t you see what’s happening here?
Jesus’ reply “Peace, be still” – in the Greek this is aorist tense. Jesus rebuked it once, the wind ceased at once and a calm came immediately. There was no necessity for the Lord to repeat His command, for it brought instantaneous obedience.
This is our God.
Jesus’ next statement…why are you afraid? Where is your faith?
Jesus is suggesting to the disciples that if their confidence had been in God, even though He himself was asleep, they would have had no reason to fear.
Why are you afraid, my precious sisters? He’s in your boat. Peace, be still.
And they were terrified[a] and asked one another, “Who then is this? Even the wind and the sea obey him!” Some translations here say “feared exceedingly” But the actual meaning is “reverential, respectful fear or awe” an overwhelming feeling of reverence, admiration, wonder
I think they are beginning to see, to KNOW who God is!
Let’s keep going…
Mark 5:1-2
They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes.[a] 2 And when Jesus[b] had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit.
We know this story! Don’t we? Jesus heals this demon possessed man!
Directly on the other side of the sea was someone Jesus was going to set free! We like to separate all the stories of scripture but wow, we lose something when we do.
There was a reason Jesus got in the boat, there was a reason Jesus had the disciples get in with Him. He was going to doing something amazing in the life of someone else. They could’ve missed it!
How many times have we been so wrapped up in our own trials and storms that we’ve missed what God did next or was going to do next because we were too focused on our stuff instead of Him?
There’s a purpose in all of it, we can’t get so focused on one aspect that we miss out on the beautiful work that God is doing.
Real rest, real trust comes from knowing God. We have to shift our POV (point of view) because if I am solely focused on my own little surroundings, my own little struggles then I’ve put God on my level. His ways are higher than mine, His thoughts are not my thoughts.
If my storm causes lives to be changed…then bring on the rain!
If my storm introduces a lost soul to the Savior…then wind blow!
If my storm can give someone else hope, knowing they are not alone…then waves come on.
Because I have Jesus, I have Hope!
Because I have Jesus, I am not afraid!
Because I have Jesus, I am not alone!
Because I have Jesus, I have peace!
Because of Jesus, I have Joy!
Because of Jesus, I can rest!
Whether you’re in the middle of a storm or not, we have to be still, we have to know, we have to abide in Jesus.
One of the biggest storms of my life took almost 5 years to wade through. There were times when the seas were calmer and the gale force winds were a slight breeze but the rain was still coming down, at least in my heart. And during this time God made me be still and He showed me a little more of Himself, He taught me to abide, to spend more time with Him, to linger in His presence. And He did something else….He changed me, there was a piece of me that was broken, a part of me that was sinful that needed made right and it took 5 years of sitting with Him to fix it, to make me more like Jesus. I can look back and be thankful for the storm. I can see how He used it in my own life and in people around me. Wow, God! You are so so amazing! Hallelujah! Glory to You, Lord!!!
My sweet friends….let’s offer up our storms, our striving, our busyness, our cares to the One and only, let’s lay down our fears, our heartaches, the what ifs to the One who carries us.
Let’s sit with Him.
Abide – be still – and Linger with Jesus
This is a message I gave at the 2025 CLW Ladies Retreat
Christy Hoagland 
Leave a comment