Be Still and Know...

Psalms 46:10:

Be still, and know that I am God; 

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth!

1. What does it mean to “be still”?

To not move around. To be in deep silence.

The word still is a translation of the Hebrew word rapa, meaning “to slacken, let down, or cease.” In some instances, the word carries the idea of “to drop, be weak, or faint.” It connotes two people fighting until someone separates them and makes them drop their weapons.

The phrase means to stop frantic activity, to let down, and to be still. For God’s people being “still” would involve looking to the Lord for help.

What happens when someone is still mentally and physically?

Exodus 14:13: And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever."

Isaiah 30:15: For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel:

“In returning and rest you shall be saved;
In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.”

When we are still, we can trust that God will take care of our situation.

What are some examples from our life today when we do not stay still?

Something happens in the church and we feel we need to rush in and save the day.

Something happens at work, family, school. When we are not still, we are rushed and make the wrong decisions, wrong choices, or do things that we may not be able to change later on, or at least it would be very hard to do so.

James 1:19: So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.

In the Bible we have the example of Sarah rushing God’s promise to Abraham. This led to extremely bad consequences.

Genesis 16: 1-2: 1Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. And she had an Egyptian maidservant whose name was Hagar. 2 So Sarai said to Abram, “See now, the Lord has restrained me from bearing children. Please, go in to my maid; perhaps I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram heeded the voice of Sarai.

James 4:13-17: 13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will[a] go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; 14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” 16 But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.

17 Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.

Philippians 4:6-7: 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

2. What does it mean to “know”?

To be aware of through observation, inquiry, or information.

Know – have the information that God is: omniscient (all-knowing), omnipresent (present everywhere), omnipotent (all-powerful), holy, sovereign, faithful, infinite, and good. Acknowledging God implies that we can trust Him and surrender to His plan because we understand who He is.

How do we know that He is God? By knowing what the Bible says about God.

How does knowing or acknowledging God impact our stillness?

Psalm 46:1: God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.

Being still and knowing allows God to work in our lives. Did you know that we can stop God from working in our lives? How do we do that? By doing what we should not or not doing what we should. What are some examples?

Know how much God for us:

Romans 8:32: He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?

3. What does it mean to “be still and know”?

We can’t just “be still” or just “know.” The two need to work together. Why? What happens when we are just “still”? Or when we just “know”?

Mark 4:39: Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!”And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.

Read the verses surrounding this one. What was going on in the disciples' and Jesus’ lives?

Romans 12:2 tells us to "renew our minds" so that we can be still.

Matthew 6:34: Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Conclusions

Let us be still and know that God is our Lord. Let us know that He knows and will take care of all our problems, struggles and situations.

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Please note that we are not meeting for Campus Bible Talk over the Christmas Holidays. Our next meeting will be on Monday, January 4, 2016 at 6:00 PM in the Heritage Lounge of Athabasca Hall. May God bless you all over the holiday season!