So now that most of us are “quarantined” I can’t get the scripture “Be still and know that I am God” out of my head. It’s Psalm 46:10 and says (from the King James), “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”
I’ve learned enough by now to know that if God has put a verse on my heart, He wants me to do something with it. Very often that means to write about it. He tends to badger me until I do. Collectively, it would seem a lot of the world is being forced to be still at the moment. How strange that the whole of humanity is being stilled by something we can’t see.
I just couldn’t figure out exactly what I was supposed to do with that. I thought about it for a while, read it over and over, and decided that it’s not exactly about being still. There are few folks, who most certainly do not have time to read this, who are busier than ever caring for the sick, delivering necessities, stocking shelves and figuring out how to just continue. There are leaders getting no rest. All of those fine people have my deepest prayers on the daily.
And I don’t know about all you other parents out there with school-aged children at home, although my calendar of events is empty, no part of my day is actually still. My husband is working from home. My children are doing school work from home. Since they are here all the time that means I actually have more work than normal to do. So, no, it’s not about being still. At least not physically.
I was texting a friend who is waiting on bad news on the work front (as so many are right now) when it really hit me. It’s the knowing that God is still God that He wants me to share. This one, I’m certain, is for all of us. Know that He is God. He was God before this pandemic. He is God during this pandemic. He will be God after this pandemic. Still your mind and know that much.
I know that’s hard, but we can do hard things.
I have several different Bibles, but, and I think I’ve shared this before, the one I use for reference when I’m working on these posts belonged to my Mom. It’s at least the one she actively used during her final years. It has her underlines, her notes, loose papers and old church bulletins. I don’t have the heart to take out the papers. As I opened it to look up that particular scripture I thought about how cancer basically forced her to be still and she had to dig deep and focus on knowing God was still God during her dark time. Many of her margin notes reflect that.
It was a death diagnosis from the beginning. It was incurable. The doctors would do all they could, pump her full of all the medicines to delay the inevitable but she wasn’t going to beat it. Not in the way I wanted her to anyway. She argued with doctors and wrestled with God. But she never let go of God and the knowledge that He was always in charge.
The waiting during those two years was exceptionally hard. But God is there, too. Waiting and trusting God in the middle of dark, uncertain days, much like we’re in now, is always hard. It stretches and tests our faith. It provides opportunities to share each other’s burdens. It gives us moments to seek rest and refuge in God. It provides a testimony to others that helps strengthen their faith (I couldn’t share my hope with you without my dark days). It drives us closer to Him.
It helps us remember that He is God no matter the situation. Friends, I know it’s so very hard to “be and still and know” right now. I feel like many of us are almost coming out of our skin with anxiety and questions. How long will it last? Will my loved ones be safe? Will I be safe? Will there be jobs again? What will the world look like when this is over?
We’re wondering about what the outcome might be. I wondered what my Mom’s outcome would be. Many of those questions applied directly to my life at that time. In the moment, it was most certainly not the outcome I wanted. But with some hindsight and my own spiritual growth, I have a different viewpoint. I’m still very sad that’s she’s gone from me, but God isn’t. It’s not about the outcome – it’s about the knowledge that God is the same yesterday, today and forever. He can be trusted.
God is with us in all things, through all things and at all times. Whether you are busier than ever or looking for ways to pass the time in your home, take a minute to still your mind and know that God is still God. He is bigger than any temporary situation or any outcome. Thank Him. Trust Him to take care of you and the world He created.
