Psalm 46:10
"Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth."
This is a very interesting command from God during a time of war. God told Israel to "be still." In other words, God was telling Israel that they could have peace in the midst of war. He was telling them to stop squirming and trust Him. He was telling them that He would show them His power if they would be still and stop running. There were a few times when God told them to "be still."
God told them to be still in trouble. The word "trouble" is talking about a tight spot. In other words, when they were in a tight spot, they were to be still. He also told them to "be still" in the midst of the raging heathen. When the heathen lift their voices and decry God, they were to be still. He told them to "be still" when wars were about them. In the midst of their wars they were not to run, but they were to "be still."
It is our natural response to take flight in times of trouble. You will notice that the psalm talks about the troubles Israel faced, and apparently they wanted to flee. Likewise, you must learn that when troubles come your way you must "be still." Every time a trouble comes your way, you must not run and hide. When cancer comes your way, you can't run for that will not make it better. When financial stress comes your way, running will not make your battles better. Running from your family problems will not make them better. You must learn to be still when problems come in the ministry.
Running from problems never makes your problems better. God is commanding us to "be still" because He knows that we must face our problems. You can run for so long, but there will come a point in your life when you must face your problems. Until you stop running and face your problems, they will keep on coming back. When problems come your way, be still.
God is teach us to be still and fight our problems. Verse 1 He shows us that troubles will come, and He commands us to be still. Yet, in verse 9, He shows us that when we are still we will face the battle. Friend, you have to learn to face your troubles and fight them. You can either run from cancer, or you can face cancer head on and fight it. You can run from financial problems, or you can face them and fight them until you are back on your feet. You can run from family problems, or you can face them and fight them. Whatever your problem is, you must learn to be still and fight them. They will never get better as long as you run.
Why is it that God wants us to be still? First, we will never see God's power if we continue to run. Notice that God says, "Be still, and know that I am God..." As long as you run from your problems, you will never have the opportunity to see God work through them. It may be uncomfortable to face them, but God will only reveal His power in them when you face them. Many Christians never see the power of God delivering them from troubles because they are running from them. Be still, and you will see God's power deliver you from your problems.
Second, God wants you to be still because He will be exalted among the heathen when He delivers you. The world sees your problems and thinks that you are going to be destroyed, but when God delivers you He is exalted in their eyes. They then realize that your God is a great God.
Christian, are you showing the world the power of God? It is certainly our first response to take flight when troubles come, but I challenge you to stay still and fight. It is only when you face your problems and fight that God comes through and shows you His power. Whatever you face today, let me encourage you to be still and fight the battle until you see God deliver you from your problem.