Have you practiced being still before the Lord? If you have, you are beginning to develop a true devotional life. We continue to look at Psalm 46:10: "Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth." The word "still" is a, "verb meaning to become slack, to relax, to cease, to desist, to become discouraged, to become disheartened, to become weak, to become feeble, to let drop, to discourage, to leave alone, to let go, to forsake, to abandon, to be lazy." There is much contained in the small word "still." We are to come before the Lord and "relax, cease, be weak, be feeble and be lazy." Now we all should be able to do the last one. The idea is that you are come before God and stop and reflect upon Him. Let Him dictate what occurs. It might be a time of great happiness or sorrow for sin, but it is His choice not yours. Our responsibility is to present ourselves and wait in silence.
The verbal form of "still" tells us it is a command for a causative action to be performed. This may be a part of our misunderstanding; this is not an option, it is a command. The Holman Christian Standard Version of the Bible provides this interpretation: "Stop [your fighting]". The words in the brackets have been added by the translators; the actual text just says "stop." We are being commanded to stop. This is difficult in our busy times; however, it can occur if we are willing to actively stop. This seems like a contradiction but it isn't. We are to set aside a time to come before the Lord and cease from our worrying, strife, problems and needs. Then we are to be actively quiet by refusing to think about our needs but instead concentrate on Him.
Today, I encourage you to make time to stop. Find a place where you can cease from your striving. Even if it is only for 10 minutes, you will see what I am writing about. Be still before Him today and know that He is God. It is a command (from Him not me).
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