Be Still And Know-God is Personal

Key Elements

In Psalm 46:10, God commands His people to abandon their futile resistance and recognize His supreme authority over all nations and the earth.

Main Idea for the series: When life is filled with chaos, God invites us to be still, resting in His unchanging character, and discovering that true peace is not found in the absence of storms but in the presence of our sovereign Savior.

I want my audience to realize that knowing God doesn’t mean we will have all the answers. Knowing God means “being still” and trusting the One who does, even if the explanation never comes.

Sources: Commentaries on Logos

Intro

As a parent, there are phases that you go through where you are totally and completely exhausted all the time. When your kids are babies and you first come home from the hospital and you’re trying to get them on a sleep schedule and you have to get up in the middle of the night to feed them or change them, that’s exhausting. When they get a little older and they are always into stuff and you have to constantly watch them, that’s exhausting. But I would say one of the most exhausting stages of our kid’s lives is when they discover the word “why.” And that question gets asked about everything. You tell them it’s time to go to bed. Why? Because it’s late. Why? Because you have to go to school and I have to go to work. Why? You tell them not to touch the stove. Why? Because it’s hot. Why? Because it will burn you. Why? Because that’s what stoves do. And you slowly come to realize that giving them an answer to their questions is pointless because they are just going to continue to ask Why. So, what do we finally say? When we get exhausted from answering the same question over and over again, we finally say Because I said so. And what we come to realize about our kids is that they’re not only looking for information, ultimately, what they are looking for is security. They really want to understand what’s happening around them because understanding makes them feel safe.

And if we’re honest, we never really outgrow that. Our questions just get more sophisticated. And as followers of Jesus those questions begin to get directed towards God in our relationship with Him. And there’s one question that we probably ask the most when it comes to our relationship with God and it’s the same question that we find our kids asking frequently and that’s “why?”

A couple of weeks ago, we began this sermon series called Be Still: Finding Stillness In The Midst of Life’s Chaos, and we began by looking at that truth that God is powerful and that He is sovereign over all things. Last week, we talked about the truth that God is present with us in the midst of the difficult moments of life. We focused in on the “I AMness” of God and looked at the promise that God will never leave or forsake us. And today, we are going to take a step further that may seem a little more difficult for us, and look at something that we all struggle with multiple times in our relationship with God. And it’s the question that’s underneath all of this that we really haven’t asked out loud yet or maybe we have: What do we do when we know God is powerful and we know God is present but we still don’t understand why things are happening? That’s a fair question and it’s one that some of us may have on our minds right now at this very moment. If not, we will at some point. Because here’s a truth we have to wrestle with, God can be present with us but that presence doesn’t always come with an explanation of why we’re going through what we’re going through. We can know, beyond a shadow of a doubt that God is with us in the hospital waiting room and still have absolutely idea why the situation has turned that direction. We can trust that God is with us when we lose our job or when that relationship falls apart or our children are off track and still lie awake with the one question that God’s presence alone doesn’t answer: why?

And if we’re honest, that’s probably the place that our faith gets tested the most-not in the absence of God, but in the presence of God alongside the absence of an answer or understanding. And let me just say, that we’ve all been there. And today, if you’ve come to this place with questions about why you or someone you love is dealing with whatever they’re dealing with, you’re not alone. That question of “why” is something that we all have.

Message

So, today we’re going to try and bring some understanding to this situation we all deal with-Navigating difficult circumstances without having all the answers or sometimes any understanding of why. Let’s begin by reading Psalm 46 to put everything in context for us.... Today, we’re going to break down the first part of Psalm 46:10 even further: We began with “Stop fighting or Be Still and know that I am God...”- focusing on the truth that God is powerful; Last week we focused in on “Stop fighting or Be Still and know that I am...”- focusing on the truth that God is present; and today we are focusing on “Stop fighting or Be still and know...”-focusing on the truth that God is personal.

So, here’s our main idea that we are focusing on for this entire series: When life is filled with chaos, God invites us to be still, resting in His unchanging character, and discovering that true peace is not found in the absence of storms but in the presence of our sovereign Savior.

And today, as we look at the next part of our verse, here’s what I want us to remember: Knowing God doesn’t mean we will have all the answers. Knowing God means “being still” and trusting the One who does, even if the explanation never comes.

This morning, to experience the stillness that comes from knowing God even when we don’t have all the answers, there are some truths that we must cling to:

1. In life, there will always be an element of the unknown.

So, to fully frame all of this for us, we have to begin at a place that’s difficult and uncomfortable: We will never know everything when it comes to certain situations in our lives. That’s just the nature of life and some of the things we deal with. The truth is we will encounter situations where we won’t have all the facts or where we will never fully know why things are going the way they are going. There will always be things about life that remain unknown to us, there will always be questions, and there will alway be uncertainty. And it’s those moments in life where we probably have the most difficulty. Because we are wired to want explanations for why things are happening the way they are happening. It’s like we talked about earlier, from childhood, we want to know why. The moment something goes wrong or not the way we planned it to go, we instinctively begin to search for a reason why. For us the unknown isn’t just uncomfortable; at times, it almost feels unbearable.

And as we look at Psalm 46, instead of denying that reality, what we see is that the psalmist actually acknowledges it. Psalm 46:2-3 depicts what we would call catastrophic upheaval. It’s the description in vivid detail of the world around the people of God coming apart. It actually describes what most of us feel like is happening at different points in our own lives. He says in Psalm 46:6 that “Nations rage, kingdoms topple and the earth melts when God lifts His voice.” All of this is the psalmist pointing to the reality that life contains elements beyond our control and our comprehension; and that even the most powerful human institutions remain subject to forces beyond their mastery. We see the same truth in the Book of Job. When that book of the Bible opens, Job has everything. He is a man that is faithful to God, but in a moment’s notice, his life does a one-eighty and he loses everything except his life. In the Book of Habakkuk in the OT, the prophet opens his book literally shouting at God and asking when He will answer him. Proverbs 27:1 says “Don’t boast about tomorrow, for you don’t know what a day might bring.” James 4:14 reminds us “Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring—what your life will be! For you are like vapor that appears for a little while, then vanishes.” The consistent pattern all throughout Scripture is that in life there will always be an element of the unknown present. This isn’t the psalmist being naive, it’s honest acknowledgement of a real but uncomfortable truth that exists for all of us.

And for some of us, that’s the reality we’re facing right now. Some of us walked in here today carrying questions of why? Why did the situation go a certain direction? Why did that person do what they did? Why does the prayer that I have been praying for a really long time still feel unanswered? Why is whatever we’re dealing with even happening in the first place? And here’s another uncomfortable truth that we have to wrestle with-some of those questions are not going to get answered-not this side of heaven. That’s not pessimism, it’s reality. You see, the truth is that just like the Bible never promises us a problem free life, it also never promises us a fully explained life either. Now, that doesn’t mean we stop praying about that situation or asking God why, what it means is that there are some situations in life we might not get answers too.

So, as followers of Jesus, what do we do with that? What we usually do is respond by actively filling the silence with action. We think if we do this then maybe that will force God to speak to us and everything will work out perfectly because I’ve done all the right things. When what we do or don’t do has no affect on finding out the “why” at all. And when we approach the unknown in that way, what happens is we miss something very crucial-the unknown in situations in our lives is not a problem to be solved through more effort on our part, it’s a condition to be surrendered to. And when that happens, those difficult moments in our lives where we can’t see the full picture and we are wondering “why,” becomes a place where our faith in God begins to thrive instead of an obstacle where our faith in God is suffocated. And that’s where “Being still and standing down” in the midst of the unknown comes to fruition for us as followers of Jesus. It’s the realization that even though we may not have all the answers now or ever, we can “be still, we can stop fighting, we can stand down” because God sees the big picture. Because we are limited in our view when it comes to circumstances, we can only see a piece of the picture if any at all. But God sees yesterday, today, and already has His eyes on tomorrow. When we are standing in the midst of difficult circumstances, trying to figure out what comes next, God already knows the destination. And here’s what we have to remember, the unknown is not evidence that God is absent. The unknown is the place where we learn to trust God the most and it’s where we come to see that God is faithful. And it’s in those moments where we don’t understand why and we don’t have any idea what’s coming next, that we come to know God in a deeper way. Which leads us to the next truth we must embrace...

2. Knowing God is found in deep relationship not information download.

So, if the unknown in life is always going to be something we face, then something else has to hold us steady as followers of Jesus besides having all the facts and knowing all the information. And this is where the personal aspect of stillness comes into play. When God says in Psalm 46;10,“Stop fighting or be still and know...,” what He’s saying carries a profoundly deep relational significance that goes far beyond intellectual understanding. It goes far beyond just knowing information about God or facts that we can regurgitate that we learned from attending church once or twice a week. What God is commanding here, the kind of stillness that is necessary to navigate difficult circumstances in life without having all the answers, only comes through a deep, personal relationship with God. And it all centers around the meaning of one simple but profound word, “know.” In Hebrew, the word know is “yada,” which means “to know intimately” or as a close friend. Again, this isn’t just knowing facts about someone or having a general knowledge of who someone is, this is personal knowledge of God that comes through the experience of a relationship with Him. You see, to know God in the way He is commanding us to know Him in Psalm 46:10 means us entering into personal relationship that He Himself has made possible for you and me through His Son Jesus Christ. He says “Stop Fighting, Be still, Stand down and know...” Know what? That He is God. That no matter what we might be facing, no matter how things around us may seem, in the midst of the unknown and all the questions we may have, that God is present and He is personally involved and cares for you and me and that He will be victorious. You see, when God commands us to “know” Him, He’s not inviting us to a lecture-He’s inviting us to an encounter with Himself.

And knowing that and stepping into that kind of relationship with the God of the universe changes everything about what Psalm 46:10 is asking of us. When God says “Stop fighting and know...,” He’s not commanding us to gather all the facts we can about Him. What He’s doing is He’s inviting us into a relationship with the only One worthy of our trust in every circumstance of life whether we know all the facts or not. And here’s how that trust in God is built: when we obey God’s command to “Stop fighting and know...,” that “standing down” is the doorway to intimacy in our relationship with God because without surrender and “standing down,” there’s no way we can know God fully on a deeper level. This is why God doesn’t say “Stop fighting, Be still and know all the facts about me or the situation.” It’s because God wants us to trust Him especially during those times we don’t have all the answers. You see, when we obey God’s command to “Be still,” we create space for a deeper relationship with God and we grow in our relational knowledge of Who He is, and this is the kind of knowledge that transforms our hearts and lives. We’re so used to gaining knowledge through effort and activity and striving on our own, but knowing God and growing deeper in our relationship with Him requires something else of us, it requires stillness, surrender, letting go of trying to accomplish things through our own efforts. Here’s the deal, we cannot force intimacy, knowing God, through activity. There’s nothing we can or cannot do on our own to gain that kind of knowledge. A deep relationship with God is only found through the vulnerability that stillness creates-where we stop performing and surrender ourselves fully to Him. And when we do that, we step into the kind of knowing that Psalm 46:10 invites us into. Not certainty about our circumstances but certainty about our God-built not on us having all the answers but on what we know to be true about His character from every other moment of our lives.

And this is why the psalmist can say here in Psalm 46:1 “God is my refuge, God is my strength, and God is always there;” in vs. 9 “He brings peace and He is victorious;” and in vs. 10 “ultimately, He will be exalted.” You see, the psalmist had seen and experienced God through personal relationship and because of that deep relationship, even in the midst of the unknown, he knows who God is.

And today, that’s the same kind of intimacy God calls us to. That’s the same intimacy Jesus died for so that we can say, because of our deep relationship with God, “He is our refuge, He is our strength, He is always there, He brings peace, He is victorious, and even in the midst of not knowing all the answers, I know that God will ultimately be exalted.”

And when we get to that point in our relationship with God, it leads us to the third truth we must embrace...

3. A deep relationship with God leads to letting go of our need to know.

I’m the type of person who has to have a plan and know all the details. Just ask the staff, I want us to have a plan and be organized in how we get there. Ask my wife, if we are going on vacation, I want to have somewhat of a plan and I’ll drive her crazy. Some of you can just fly by the seat of your pants, some of you are weird that way. That’s not me. I have a need to know details.

And when it comes to life, that’s not always going to be the case. So, here’s where this gets practical and a little uncomfortable. If knowing God comes through deep relationship with Him rather than compiling information about Him, then the depth of that relationship is what frees us of the demand for an explanation in the midst of difficult circumstances in our lives. When we truly know God, when we truly surrender fully to Him, we discover something that goes against every natural fiber of our being-we no longer need to know the future. You see, the closer we get to God in our relationship with Him, the less that need for an explanation grips us, because our security has shifted from dependency on an answer to dependency on our relationship with God. And it’s all based on trust in our relationship with Him. Because we are pursuing a deep relationship with God and have experienced His faithfulness in the past, we trust that He will continue to be faithful now and forever whether we have a full explanation of our circumstances or not.

Now, don’t hear me saying that we will never wonder “why” or that we’ll never ask God questions when we face difficult circumstances. And don’t hear me saying that it’s wrong to ask questions or to wonder “why.” It’s not. And as human beings, we are always going to have that in the back of our minds. But as we actively pursue God and we grow deeper and deeper in our relationship with Him, standing down in the midst of circumstances where those answers don’t come, we don’t lose heart because we trust in the One who is faithful in every circumstance.

And this trust, this letting go of our need to know, comes from the realization of everything we have talked about leading up to this point. Psalm 46:10 says “Stop fighting, Be still, and know...” and what comes next is the reason we can let go of our need to know, “that I am God.” You see, the simple but powerful words “I am God,” are enough to give us rest. Because we know He is God, we know He is sovereign and powerful and ruling over all things; because we know He is God, we know He is present with us in every circumstance; and because we know He is God, we know He is personally and relationally involved in every aspect of our lives. And because we know this to be true, stillness is possible because the battle is not ours to fight. And ultimately what this does for us is it transforms our relationship with the unknown from worry and fear and anxiety to trust in our powerful Heavenly Father.

In life, there will always be a gap between what we know and what we don’t. So, here’s the question, when we are faced with that gap of the unknown, what do we fill it with? We can fill it with anxiety and questions and fear and refuse to move forward until we get answers. Or, as we grow deeper in our relationship with God, we can fill it with trust in Him, letting go of our need to know all the answers and taking the next step of obedience.

I think about Abraham in Genesis 12, God called him to leave everything and go to a new land without any explanation and he did. I think of Joseph in Genesis 50, sold bye his brothers, imprisoned unjustly, and waiting years before any of it made sense. I think of Mary in Luke 1, visited by an angel and told she would give birth to the Messiah, not fully understanding what it all meant but responding in obedience. And there are countless other examples all throughout Scripture. People not fully knowing all the information but all responding in obedience to what God had called them to do.

You see this is what Psalm 46:10 asks of us as followers of Jesus-not to stop asking “why” but to allow the depth of our relationship with God to slowly loosen our grip on needing all the answers before we’ll take the next step God is asking us to take.

Closing

The unknown is not a problem to be solved — it's simply part of life on this side of eternity. But Scripture doesn't leave us to face the unknown alone or unequipped. It offers us a knowing that was never meant to answer every question but deepens our relationship with God. And the closer that relationship grows, the more naturally our grip on needing to understand everything else begins to loosen, not because we finally have the answers, but because we know God in a deeper way.

So, this morning I want to invite you to stand. As we move into a time of worship and commitment, I want to give us all an opportunity take the steps God is leading us to take today. With every head bowed and every eye closed, you can come to the altar or remain at your seat, but I want us to take a moment and walk through some Practical steps to Biblical Stillness: (I’ve already placed these in your notes for you today)

a. Name one unknown you’ve been trying to control and release it to God.

What’s the one situation in your life where you’ve been demanding clarity from God before you’ll move forward? Right now, I want you to surrender that to God, and commit to be obedient in that circumstance trusting God no matter if the answers come or not.

b. Make knowing God a daily priority.

If you’re doing this already, then continue doing what you’re doing. But if you find your relationship with God not where it needs to be or you’ve been distracted from time with Him lately, commit to a daily time with Him. And commit to make this a time where you’re not asking for answers or an outcome but you’re just sitting in His presence.

c. Take a next step of obedience in a situation where you can’t see the outcome.

Identify the place where your need to know has been keeping you stuck, and take one small, obedient step forward this week. Let your relationship with God carry what your understanding of His plan can't.