Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!
I have usually only heard the first part of Psalm 46:10 quoted. Be still and know that I am God. Yet when read as a whole it has much greater power in my opinion. I have to confess that in the past when I heard "Be still and know that I am God" quoted, it was always a little confusing to me. I always felt that the first part (quoted on its own) requires blind obedience, but God doesn't call us to that is this verse.
Just hearing the first part makes you think that God is calling us to sit and contemplate the fact that He is God and that is it. We are told to quietly sit and contemplate the fact that He is God but that is not all! We are told to sit quietly knowing He is God and has the power to accomplish all His holy will! Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!
God is not sitting around fretting that Christians are not doing their jobs well enough. He does not worry that the world will forget Him and become a huge Sodom and Gomorrah (I do, and what that means particularly for my babies). I am not saying He doesn't care, He does or He wouldn't have sent His Son, but He isn't helpless in the situation. He is the Lord over it! And He doesn't call us to feel helpless in the situation either. What an encouragement it is to read this verse in its entirety! Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!
