“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
The gang at biblegateway.com threw me a bone today. No verse in the Bible means more to me than this one; it is my life verse. Here’s that story…
This scripture came to prominence in my life way back when serving as a regulatory compliance manager in my career. At the time, I worked with a very troubled person who had no respect for any human he couldn’t get something from; in retrospect, I don’t think he regarded those people either. When he would go on one of his rages, what carried me through the day were these words from my Lord:
“Be still and know that I am God.”
These exact words were whispered to me on 2001.09.12 as I walked during my lunch hour. There were no planes in the sky, the rubble at One World Trade, the Pentagon, and Shanksville still smoked, and the world was in shock. I could hear these words spoken amongst the gentle sounds of wind passing through a cornfield, the clicks and buzzes of the insects, and the calling of songbirds.
“Be still and know that I am God.”
Throughout seminary, five ordination exams, my ordination, my first call, a church building collapse, and the day I said goodbye to two little boys I thought would become my sons, I heard these words speak. Not to mention every other challenging event in ministry, I heard them.
“Be still and know that I am God.”
Then came the granddaddy of them all; the last fifteen months. Through Pandemic lockdown, leading scared people on all ends of the fear spectrum, my mom’s broken hip in May and death in July, and long-distance caring for a grieving father and siblings (amid my grief), I heard these words. When opening up for worship with masks and social distancing in November and every other difficult and crazy thing that occurred throughout the crisis, I could hear these gentle words.
“Be still and know that I am God.”
My friends, the scriptures are a gift from “42” handed down to us to help us live a life that gives glory and honor to him and helps us care for others. So find that verse(s) with significant meaning in your life, and lay claim to it as your “Life Verse.” Let it sink into your very being, and when you need it, it will spring forth as easy as breathing and speak to you.
I actually have a top five; the first you already know. Here are the other four:
“Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain!” 1 Chronicles 4:10
aka “The Prayer of Jabez”
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” Deuteronomy 6:4-5
aka “The Shema”
“Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:28b-31
Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect… 1 Peter 3:14b-15
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