Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.
– Psalm 46:10
Oh, what a great verse that we all need to hear and heed this command to be still amidst the busyness of our lives, amidst especially challenging days in our lives. That’s the whole context for this Psalm. It starts in Psalm 46:1 saying, “God is our refuge and our strength and an ever present help in trouble.” It talks about the earth giving away. So in tumultuous times, in hard days, be still. Just stop.
Psalm 46:10 reminds us that God remains sovereign over our circumstances.
This is God’s word to you and me, “Just stop running from this to the next. Stop worrying about this and that. Stop being anxious about tomorrow and what tomorrow holds. Just stop, be still. Just stop and know that I am God.”
God is saying to us in his Word. “Just stop and look at me and remember who I am and remember that I’m in control.” And not just in control which we see God’s sovereignty all over Psalm 46, but remember his power and his love that are working even right now on your behalf. That’s what Psalm 46 says, multiple times. “The Lord Almighty is with us. The God of Jacob is a fortress for us.”
This is God saying, “Stop and see that I’m with you. You’re not alone, and I’m a Fortress for you.” That, “I’m your Protector and your Provider and your Defender. I am with you and I am for you. Stop, be still, and just hear me saying that to you right now.” I don’t know obviously what’s going on in your life, but God does. And he’s saying to you right now, personally to you as his people, “Just stop for a moment.”
“See that I am the one who rules and reigns overall, and I am with you, I’m for you, and I am accomplishing good purposes, glorious purposes in the world, and you can trust in me.” That’s the second part of this verse. “I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth.” And you just think about what that means. God will be exalted as the Provider, as your Provider. The Lord will be exalted as the Sustainer, as your Sustainer. God will be exalted as the loving King that he is.
Psalm 46:10 encourages us to place our trust in God.
He will show himself in that way in your life, trust in him, and not just in your life, but in all the nations that he’s working, yes, in each of our lives and he’s working in the world around us in ways far beyond what we can fathom. And he is going to accomplish all of his purposes among all of the nations.
And so we pray. God help us to stop, to be quiet, to be still, and to remember to know that you are God and that you are all-powerful. You’re all-sovereign. God, we praise you for all these attributes in you, that you are all-loving, that you are all-wise, and that you are with us. You’re an ever-present help for us in trouble. And you’re our Refuge. You’re a Fortress for us.
God, we praise you for your love for us, your power at work on our behalf, and your purpose at work in our lives. So, God, we pray with trust in you. Carry out your good purposes in us, through us, around us. And not just in through around us, but in all the world. God, we pray that you would make us look more like Jesus as we walk through trouble. You would draw us closer to yourself.
Help us to know you more as a result of troubles and hardships. God, help us amidst the busyness of our lives and amidst the worries that we’re tempted by. God, help us to lay these things down before you and know that you are God. And God we pray for your exaltation in our lives, for your exaltation through our troubles, and for your exaltation in all the world, among all the nations and all the earth.
Prayer for the Berber People
God, we pray specifically today for the Berber of Morocco and Algeria other countries in North Africa.
There’s almost 500 million Muslims I think about having been in this part of the world, meeting one believer in this sea of millions of people who didn’t know Jesus around him. God, I pray for your blessing. You know his name on that one believer. And God, I pray, we pray together for your grace, for your help, for your strength and all these Psalm 46 ways over the few believers that are among the Berber, that you would strengthen them and you would embolden them with the gospel and help them know wisely how to share the gospel where it’s so costly to do so.
And God, we pray that you would draw multitudes of Berber men, women, and children to know you as the refuge and the strength and the ever-present help in trouble to know you as the Savior of sin, Lord Jesus, and the Giver of eternal life. God, we pray that you would be exalted as Savior among the Berber and that you would be exalted as Sustainer and Savior and Provider and Healer and Hope giver and all that you are in and through our lives today. We pray all this according to your Word, which we love. Thank you for this command, oh God, to be still and know that you are God. We pray this in light of Psalm 46:10 in Jesus’ name. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
