“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, ESV

Being “still” is not generally in our skill set these days. Even among those who are sometimes labelled as “lazy”, there’s surely a degree of constant input… Television, Facebook, Video Game… even sleeping is a form of distraction when compared with what the Bible means when it says to “be still”. And of course most of us aren’t even lazy; we’re downright swamped!

“Be still”? How in sam hill am I supposed to do that?

Well, especially in the context of Psalm 46, the words “be still” have more to do with an attentive quietness than an abandonment of all activity. Being still means to strip away all other sources of input and listen! This… most of us rarely do. Being still is actually an activity. Surely we can handle that!

"Snowmageddon" (as facebook has playfully memed it) is a perfect time to be still. And yet it is also a potential playground for everything else too. Holed up in our homes, most of us are probably inclined to “get busy” with whatever things we delight in most… cooking, projects, family time… all good things. And so let’s rejoice that God has blessed us with not only a landscape awash in white, but with some extra “down” time in our homes.

But Sunday morning is, for most of us reading this, usually “go to church” time. That in itself can become a form of busy-ness, especially if there are kids to shuttle, Worship responsibilities to attend to, or just that looming sense of “got to” that can spoil a good “get to”.

Ah, but let’s not forget Snowmageddon.

This particular Sunday you will not be “going to church”. And so I invite you to repurpose an hour or two - the same hour or two you’d normally be loading up, driving, parking, pouring Pastor Dan’s special brew, Worshiping, grabbing a Munchkin, loading back up, and driving back home - I invite you, on this Sunday Morning, January 24th, to simply “Be Still”. You’ll have to make your own coffee, but sit down and as you sip, think about Psalm 46:10. “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”

Remember that this verse compliments the same Psalm that Martin Luther used as the inspiration of “A Mighty Fortress”... not exactly a “quiet” kind of song…

But for some reason, in the midst of all the noisy bustle of “we will not fear though the earth gives way” (v. 2), “The nations rage, the kingdoms totter” (v. 6), and “he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire” (v. 9), the writer of this Psalm invites us to “be still” and “know” that our God is totally in control.

God is going to be exalted. This He seems to state with confidence. There’s nothing about our “stillness” or lack thereof that is going to change it. But the point of our attentive listening as we remember how he “burns” whatever “chariots” might assail us is that He has included us in His exaltation. He is exalted because of what He has done for each one of us… He has rescued us from an uncertain future and delivered us into an eternity in His exalted Kingdom. The Psalmist can say with certainty that He will be exalted because it is a certainty that Jesus will rise from the grave.

Be still this Sunday morning and think on that. Jesus has accomplished everything necessary. Now, on this day, He invites you to sit with your coffee and be amazed by Him.

Heavenly Father, thank you for giving me Jesus to conquer all of the enemies that would keep me from loving You. Help me to remember that You are God. Help me to remember what a truly good thing that is. Amen.