According to the NIV translation, they read: "Be still and know I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.".
The Amplified versions reads: Let be and be still, and know (recognize and understand) that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations! I will be exalted in the earth!
I also decided to read this from the Message and it made me chuckle, yet the meaning is the same. It reads: "Step out of the traffic! Take a long, loving look at me, your High God, above politics, above everything.".
Finally, the NLT, reads: "Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world."
This verse has been on my mind all week and when that happens, it usually means I am to share my thoughts. Several things come to mind when I read it.
First, Be still and know I am God...think about those words. When do you hear God's voice the most? When you are busy flying around and doing way more than you signed up for? Constantly listening to music and never sitting in the silence? When you are busy helping others and not taking time for yourself? Yes, we are to certainly help others, but we also need to take time for ourselves. Christ would often slip away and spend time in prayer. I think Scripture records that so we can learn from His example. We need to slip away and spend time with God. Asking Him what He wants us to do and how to spend the money He has entrusted us with, the gifts He has given us, or the breath we have to move and speak with, etc. We hear Him when we are still and not thinking of a thousand other things. We hear Him when we are by ourselves and wanting to hear Him. Read that again, "wanting" to hear Him. Do we really want to hear what He has to say? Do we want to hear what he is asking of us? Only you can answer that question. If I were honest, there are times, it would be so much easier to just do my own desires, but that leads me down a path I don't want.
Second, know that I am God...Do you KNOW that He is God? The I AM, the Alpha and Omega (beginning and the end), no one equal or greater. I don't mean who He is, what He has done, or what others have said He has done, but KNOW him. If you don't know Him, you won't hear Him. I am reminded of Samuel from the old testament. God called him several times and each time Samuel went to Eli asking him what he wanted, and finally Eli realized that Samuel was being called by God. The next time God called, Samuel was ready and listening and called back. Notice, Eli wasn't with him, Samuel was by himself and ready to hear want God had to say. 1 Samuel 3:1-18. Others can't do this for you. You must do this for yourself. If you are only learning by what others are sharing, it is time you considered spending some time with God, to see what He wants to specifically say to you. If you have children, do you enjoy hearing from them as to what they are doing or do you like when their friends tell you what they are doing? Just as you like time with your children, so does our Heavenly Father. He loves to hear what is on our hearts and minds. He knows of course, but He welcomes conversation with us. That is prayer. We make it sound so difficult, but really prayer is spending time with God in a conversation. Can you imagine trying to get to know someone without any words ever being spoken or written?
Third, the remainder of that verse tells us He will be exalted and honored. Not by just a few, but by every nation and by the entire earth. You believing or not believing has nothing to do with who God is, He is still God regardless of your choice. He is inviting you now to serve Him and love Him. He wants the best for you. He knows we need to Be Still in order to hear him and worship him. I liked how the Message version says we are to Step out of traffic...at first I chuckled, but then I thought how meaningful those words are. We need to step out of the flow of our day to day lives and be still and listen to what is happening. How do we know he is God? By spending time with Him. The more you spend with Him, the more time you will want to spend. At first it takes discipline to read your bible, pray and listen, but after awhile you will desire that time so much your heart will grieve if you haven't had quiet time with Him.
When I started this blog, I wanted to also include pictures I have been able to take. I asked God, what picture goes with this type thought? He immediately reminded me a few years ago, I had the privilege to see a hummingbird in our backyard. I took many pictures and have chosen a few to add to this. What does a hummingbird have to do with this? I think a hummingbird is the fastest bird on the planet, yet I saw it sitting and being still. We usually see pictures of them at feeders with wings buzzing. But even they need to rest from time to time. God's Creation reflects Him. His creatures know they need to be still and rest. He suggests the same for you.
May you find time this week, to be still and know He is God. Remember to know He is God, you must recognize and understand who He is. Do you? I want to encourage you to wrap your mind around those words, Know God. In order to start that process you need to Be Still.
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