Psalm 46 tells us that sometimes mountains fall into the sea.
Sometimes something that you thought was true turns out to be a lie. Sometimes good seasons that you imagined would last forever, don’t. Sometimes the roles in life that have defined you come to an end before you are ready.
And sometimes the earth beneath you gives way.
Sometimes the one person you thought you could utterly rely on lets you down. Sometimes things that you thought were safe and solid, crumble. Sometimes life turns out differently than you had hoped and the disappointment is hard to shake.
Sometimes nations rage.
Sometimes politics and 24-hour news can leave you pessimistic and tired. Sometimes what you can’t control in the world taunts you and the brokenness on your television is too much.
An unexpected crisis can rattle your core and knock you off your feet. It can change the landscape of your life and disorientate you.
And too much bad news can eat you up inside. It can slowly steal your faith-filled optimism and make you older than your years. It can jade your soul.
But there is an answer.
‘Be still and know that I am God.’
The picture painted here with the original Hebraic language is stunning.
To ‘be still’ is so much more than stopping our forward motion. The meaning in the original is to let go, to sink to the ground, to stop fighting, to desist.
And why is this important? Why is surrender the correct response to the crisis?
Because only then can we really know that He is God.
And this knowledge is a kind of discovery that goes beyond our heads. It is when circumstances are tough that we dig deep enough to uncover the treasures of God’s character that would otherwise be a secret. God’s love and goodness are displayed so much more clearly against the dark backdrop of discouragement and disappointment. His miraculous provision can only be experienced from a place of need. Answers come after painful questions. Revelation comes out of blindness.
Sometimes mountains fall into the sea.
Sometimes the earth beneath you gives way and the nations around you rage.
The best response is to sink to our knees. When we surrender to God’s ways we more fully discover the depth of His love. He is closest when we are most in need; He is strongest when we are not. It is at the end of our ideas and solutions that we are in touching distance of His will for our lives.
Adversity is the most beautiful doorway to communion with Jesus if you can view it that way.
Whatever challenges you face, His presence is the answer, His voice is the cure.
Seek Him and thank Him. Find Him and worship.
He is safe.
He is good.
He is near.
He is fighting for you and He always wins.
‘God, you’re such a safe and powerful place to find refuge! You are a proven help in time of trouble – more than enough and always available whenever I need you. So we will never fear even if every structure of support were to crumble away. We will not fear even when the earth quakes and shakes, moving mountains and casting them into the sea. For the raging roar of stormy winds and crashing waves cannot erode our faith in you. God has a constantly flowing river whose sparking streams bring joy and delight to His people….God is in the midst of His city, secure and never shaken. At daybreak His help will be seen with the appearing of the dawn. When the nations are in uproar… God simply raises His voice….Surrender your anxiety! Be silent and stop your striving and you will see that I am God….The mighty Lord of angel armies is on our side! The God of Jacob fights for us!’ Psalm 46.
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