Be Still and Know

What is the hardest command in all of Scripture for you to follow? There are certainly lots of difficult ones to choose from. “Pick up your cross and follow me”? “Sell your possessions and give to the poor”? “Love your enemy”? The list is long.

One of the hardest for me is found in Psalm 46:10: “Be still, and know that I am God.”

Sounds easy enough? I mean, I do know that He is God and I do believe that He is in control. But I have always had the hardest time stilling my heart, my mind, my soul. I mean, I am impatient. I over-think. I over-analyze. I worry when faced with uncertainty. Stillness is hard. Stillness requires trust, and trust is hard. But I believe that stillness–even and especially in the midst of storms–is vital to hearing from God. Just ask Elijah (cf. 1 Kings 19:11-13).

I wrote this song while meditating on Psalm 46. The lyrics are simple, as is the call to “be still and know.” I wrote it as a reminder to myself that God knows every wave in the sea and every longing in my heart; a reminder to cultivate stillness, to seek God’s still small voice, and to practice patience and trust. It is hard, no doubt, but it is worth it.

Psalm 46:1-3, 10a
God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear,
though the earth give way
and the mountains fall
into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake
with their surging.

He says, “Be still, and know
that I am God.”

Credits

Words & Music: Bill Wolf
Vocals: Chloe McCarthy
Piano: Keaton Stone