Be still and know that I AM GOD!
I will be exalted among the nations.
I will be exalted in the earth.
The 2008 Summer Olympics were recently held in Beijing, China. I won’t go into describing the visual and artistic scope of the opening ceremony, although it was spectacular. What preyed on my mind (that’s ‘preyed’ as in bird of prey, not ‘prayed’ as in to the LORD) was the idea of “One World, One Dream.”
This was the prevailing motto during the 16 days of Olympic games. And as the parade of nations streamed into the stadium under their own banners; uniting in “peace” while still attached to their own philosophies, creeds and gods, the words from Psalm 46 (above) raged in my head.
The world is anxious. The world is afraid. And the world is consistently attacked and deceived into thinking that peace can be achieved through mankind’s efforts. But the Children of G-d are called to not be part of this world. Our hope is in the God of Israel and our path to peace is through His Son, our Savior, Yeshua. The path leads to Zion… and all the nations will flow to her in the last days.(Isaiah 2:2)
Paul, writing to the Ephesians, says this:
That at that time you were without Messiah, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world. But now, in Messiah Yeshua you who were far off came to be near by the blood of Messiah. For He is our peace.
Make no mistake; the path to peace isn’t lined in gold with birds singing, lambs prancing and flowers springing up from the earth filling the air with sweet fragrance. As long as we are in this world…the path to peace winds through a battlefield. We are told to put on the full armor of G-d…and stand fast. But here is where it gets tricky. It’s not armor made from steel or iron. It’s not the deplorable, regal look of the Crusaders. It’s armor built from character; the character of Yeshua that we are called to emulate.
Psalm 46 begins: G-d is our refuge and strength.
It continues, saying, On account of this we will not fear when the earth changes and when mountains are slipping into the seas. Let its waters foam; let the mountains shake in its swelling.
Remember peeling the onion? Understanding the literal meaning first and then peeling away the layers for the deeper revelations? Well, mountains in the Scriptures not only symbolize actual mountains, but also governments, nations and kingdoms. And the idea of water foaming and swelling creates the picture of turbulence. So whether we are talking about turbulent weather events (hurricanes, typhoons, volcanoes) or turbulent national events (elections, wars, persecutions)… it all goes back to the truth that G-d is our refuge and strength… we will not fear. We have to embrace this truth!
King Solomon, in his wisdom, warned:
If you faint in the day of distress, your strength is small. Proverbs 24:10
The Hebrew word raphah, translated as ‘faint’ in this verse, literally means ‘to drop; to let go.’
We cannot let go of truth, even though the world wants us all to believe that truth doesn’t exist. We cannot soften our stance, even though the world calls our stance ‘extreme’. I am an extremist! I firmly stand in love. I firmly stand in justice. I firmly stand in G-d’s mercy! I firmly strive to be Holy as He is Holy! And I firmly stand that the ‘rules of engagement’ are contained within Torah.
It is time to stop getting wrapped up in the silliness of man. It is time to stop spouting off with our own opinions and fears as if we have the answers and insight. Just be still, knowing that the God of Israel has it all under control. He has it under control even if we don’t understand. And if we don’t like the outcome, instead of spouting some more…we should focus our energy on watching and repenting. He will reveal what He is doing when He chooses and it is up to us to see…and to hear… the message.
Turn to Me and be saved all the ends of the earth, for I AM GOD and there is no other! I have sworn by Myself, the word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness and shall not return, that to Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear; he shall say ‘Only in Adonai do I have righteousness and strength.’ Isaiah 45
One day, the parade of nations will walk under one banner…the banner of Israel…the banner of King Yeshua.
In the opening verse of this article, Psalm 46:10, HaShem commands us ‘be still and know that I AM God’. The word translated as ‘still’… is raphah as well. Hebrew poetry. Drop down… because He will be lifted up (exalted). Get it? So before you tremble over storms or fret over your government, drop to your knees and glorify GOD.
What an Awesome God we serve!
Author: Jennifer Ross
