Be Still

             God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging... He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:1-3 &10)

 

            “Where was God when…?”

            It’s a question often asked when something bad happens because we expect that any real god would do something spectacular (or at least minorly spectacular) like parting the Red Sea or making our meager supply of cooking oil to last years. I’m as guilty as anyone in this regard. At the very least, we want God to show up “personally” so to speak, and not involving some agency like a human being or a building.

            The truth is that God is in the disaster not destroying the world. He is with the rescue workers and volunteers that help. He is there in ways that we don’t tend to recognize, and there’s a good reason we don’t recognize Him. God said, “Be still,” but when things aren’t going according to our preferences, we don’t tend to be still. Some of us whine. Some grumble. Others rage, fret, stress, kvetch, complain, shout, or whimper.

            But God says, “Be still, and know that I am God.” Supposedly, when someone is drowning, those trying to rescue him may have to wait until the person stops struggling, or risk being drown as well. It’s not that the drowning person doesn’t want to be saved, and it’s not that the rescuer doesn’t want to rescue, but the natural response of a panicking person to do things that endanger the rescuer. I’m not suggesting that God can’t help someone who is “drowning.” What I’m suggesting is that the person being rescued may not be able to understand or respond to the rescuer, which means the person being rescued is likely to not be able to know his rescuer until or unless the person being rescued becomes quiet.

            Another way to see something of the same problem is in terms of the person who won’t let you get a word in edgewise. How can they possibly get to know you if they can’t be still and experience you? His command to “Be still” isn’t the command of an egomaniac. It’s a simple truth.