The phrase "be still and know that I am God" is very comforting in and of itself. We see it shared in memes, it appears on motivational calendars and other products, we even have an entire hymn called "Be Still", which remains very popular in many churches. But what does this phrase actually mean?
To many, it is comforting because it focuses us on God and reminds us who He is. But it actually goes deeper than that. It reminds us of who we are. Study the whole verse: "He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariot in the fire. Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!"
Why the mention of war? Because war exists. But why? Can we not live in peace? Can we not work together to make a better world? We all want a better world, don't we? This is true, for sure, but we are also quite comfortable with conflict. As David Wood once showed, even if humanity lived in a perfect world, we would still see it as problematic.
The video is very eye opening, and although Wood didn't outright say it in his video, he's actually describing the picture the Bible paints. The pattern he describes is that even when things go well, in our nature, we just don't want things to go well. Things here in the West are great. We have racial equality, we have gender equality, we have some degree of Democracy, we have economic freedom, we have some degree of freedom of expression, so what do we do? Well, suddenly, we turn the solution into the problem. Racial equality? Pfft, no, whites are still inherently racist, and we should make them pay for the slaves they never owned. Gender equality? Na, that's transphobic! We should let men beat up a woman in sporting events, and the men don't even have to remove their manhood to qualify. Economic freedom? But that means we're responsible for our own choices, so are we really free? Rich people's "fair share", in reality, should be equal, but because they make more money, the Left wants to take more money. And freedom of expression allows people to express opinions that we disagree with, which isn't cool with us, so we like censorship.
And of course, this isn't a problem unique to the Left. Let's be honest, the only reason the Right are any better is because the Left themselves provide the fight we want. If the Left were the peaceful ones, if they weren't rioting and trying to take away the freedoms we enjoy, we would likely find a way to complain in that scenario, and we would be the ones fabricating the enemy.
Conclusion? My friends, we aren't ready for Heaven. Tell me, in Heaven, what problems are there? What struggles? Does not everything run as it is intended by God Himself? Or put it another way: What did man lack in Eden? He had no pain. There was no death. Work wasn't a burden. Food was free. Yet Eve reached for that forbidden fruit, and Adam bit from it too. The Bible even tells us that he wasn't deceived, so what motive could he possibly have had for biting into that fruit? I'll tell you what motive. His heart told him "I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High."
Sinners make poor saints. If the Lord had just whisked us all to Heaven in the beginning, Heaven would be no different today than the Earth, but for one small difference: With immortality as a factor, there would be more people to fight over nothing. More rebels to shake the fist at God. The Holy would be contending with the unholy, day in and day out. But that would be the most futile of fights. Not only futile because of the lack of reason, but futile because of the impossibility of victory. How will a man, or any number of men, fight against God?
Yet we do fight against God. Indeed, when we fight against man, we fight against God, for man is made in His image. But even lacking the image, we fight against God, as Adam in the garden, as Cain in the field, as Satan in the heavens, we fight against God.
Yet He doesn't win.
Why does God not win? With all His power, with all His might, we could no more stand against God than we could prance around on the sun. So how are we still standing? How are we not all falling into the lake of fire, weeping and gnashing our teeth? God is suspending His victory, not because He is unable to win, but because when He does win, He wants us to be a part of that victory. We have a chance to defect! We can be forgiven completely! Why? Because the punishment we deserve for the war we wage against Him has already been dealt. Upon whom? Upon Jesus. The Son of God was born of a virgin, lived a perfect life, and died upon a cross, after which He rose from His own grave. Salvation is available to all men. Those who repent, confess Him as Lord, and believe He rose from the dead will be saved.
And that is what it means to be still and know that He is God. It means to surrender to Him. For the righteous, it means not fretting, for the Lord Himself is our victory. For the wicked, it means to cease the futile war. You can't win, so why try? Repent and be saved. That is what it means to be still and know that He is God.
Recommended song: Be Still - Aled Jones