Lenten Blog Series 2024: Week 6: S.T.O.P. by Taji Brown

S.T.O.P. by Taji Brown

Focus Scripture: Psalm 46:10

“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” Clause A of this verse is a command, an order, a directive if you will. When I read this, all I hear is God saying STOP! Stop fighting, stop trying, stop worrying, stop tripping, stop sinning, stop overthinking, stop being anxious, stop distrusting Me, stop your foolishness, stop doing what you think is best, stop fretting, stop moving, stop trying to be seen, stop trying to get noticed, stop doubting, stop doing things in your own strength, stop thinking you are smarter than you really are…JUST STOP!

The word “STOP” literally means to come to an end or to cease from happening. Psalm 46:10 reminds me of Newton’s first law of motion. Have you ever heard of inertia? It simply means anything at rest will stay at rest until an outside force is applied to it. When God commands us to be still, I truly believe He wants us to rest in the fact that He is God. He wants us to know that there is safety in Him, there is peace in Him, all the answers to our problems is in Him, our strength is in Him, all power is in Him, our confidence is in Him, there is joy in Him, there is unconditional agape love in Him, our courage is in Him, our faith lies in Him, our hope is in Him, our life is in His hands, EVERYTHING concerning us is in Him!

There is unmovable power in knowing. There is a certainty that comes with knowing. It makes it that much easier to “Be still.” Reflecting on Psalm 46:10 and what it means to STOP, God has given me an acronym to bring this all to life.

• S-Surrender: The directive given to us by God in Psalm 46:10 requires us to surrender unto God’s majesty and divinity. Surrendering to God requires total faith in Him as well as the realization that God knows best for us. We must accept the fact that even when it does not make sense to us, He is still in control. Surrendering requires us to believe Him for who He is and not just for what he can do, will do, and already has done. He stated in this scripture to know that He is God. Therefore, knowing this without doubting should make it easier to surrender to His sovereignty and to better understand that He is Jehovah Rohi, our Shepherd God. James 4:7 states, “Submit yourselves therefore to God…” In other words, “Be still and know that I am God!”
• T-Trust: This is a great segway into what the “T” stands for, which is trust. There is no way we can surrender to God if we do not trust Him. We cannot trust God if we do not know Him. That is why I truly believe God followed up “Be still” with “And know that I am God.” He does not want us guessing who He is or just believing that He is God, but more importantly He wants us to know without a shadow of doubt that He is God. He wants us to be certain about this, which requires us to trust Him. We have to trust His character and His nature. We have to trust His promises, His decrees, and His commands. We should trust His heart even if we cannot trace His hand. We must trust Him enough in order to do nothing, knowing that the battle is not ours, it’s the Lord’s. Sheep have this sort of trust for their shepherd as he leads them on their journey. We too must be synonymous with sheep and trust our Shepherd God to lead us even through the valley of the shadow of death, without fear. Psalm 23 depicts the type of trust we should have in our Heavenly Father as we “Be still and know that He is God!”
• O-Obey: Trusting God allows us to obey Him. When He tells us to “Be still,” doing anything contrary to that order results in disobedience. Proverbs 19:16 in the Contemporary English Version Bible says, “Obey the Lord’s teachings and you will live–disobey and you will die.” Simple as that. That is why when God tells us to do something, we must do it no matter what. Even if it is not a natural death that we will succumb to, it very well may be a spiritual death that we suffer if we do not obey. Not being still may result in burnout, exhaustion, fatigue, heavy burdens, depression, anxiety, frustration, anger, etc. There are no words wasted in the Bible. So when God tells us to do something, it is beneficial to us and meant for our good. According to 1 Samuel 15:22, “...To obey is better than sacrifice…” Therefore, it is better for us to comply with God’s request for us to “Be still” before we have to give up something that can hurt us in the long run (i.e., peace, joy, rest, etc.).
• P-Praise: The second clause of Psalm 46:10 probably gets overlooked quite often due to the familiarity individuals have with Clause A. “I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” This is God informing us that no matter what, He will still get the glory, honor, and the praise. This is God letting us know that the nations will speak highly of Him and hold Him in high regards, no matter what. Even the earth itself will give God praise if man decides not to. “But He answered and said to them, “I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.”” (Luke 19:40) Therefore, “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.” (Psalms 50:6) Something about being still and knowing who God is should ignite praise from within us. We should want to extol our Heavenly Father just for who He is. We should sing praises of the Lord everywhere we go because He has been that good and that kind towards us. Psalm 46:10 shows us how much God wants us to just rest with all confidence in Him. That alone should be enough for us to give God praise.

So, the next time you read or hear Psalm 46:10, I urge you to just S.T.O.P. by surrendering, trusting, obeying, and praising the Lord. Give up your striving and submit to God’s plans and purposes for your life. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5) Do what He tells you to do, when He tells you to do it, and how He tells you to do it. Last but not least, “ In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18) This will allow us all to “Be doers of the word, and not hearers only.” (James 1:22) This will allow us to “Abide in Christ.” (See John 15:4) Ultimately, this will allow us to “Be still and know…”