Be Still, My Soul
“Be still and know that I am God…” ~Psalm 46:10
Is your soul troubled this morning, Christian? Is it troubled by thoughts of what has become of our country or of what may yet become of her? Is it troubled by the condition of your marriage or the spiritual state of your family? Is it troubled, perhaps, by sins you have committed or mistakes you have made? Is it troubled by your deteriorating health? You feel your best years are behind you and the future is at best bleak. Perhaps your troubles are locked in an unknown and uncertain future. I don’t know about you, but dealing with what might happen is at least as challenging for me as dealing with troubles invading my life right now.
Wherever and whatever your trouble, the remembrance of God is always the best antidote to a ruffled heart.
Remember God’s Presence
Christian, whatever you face now or in the future, you will never have to face it without God. Let that thought sink into your mind. God will be with you. Jehovah has sworn and will never relent: I will never abandon you nor forsake you. Though your parents may forget you, I never will. Listen to David’s testimony written down for our comfort: “For my father and mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me up” (Psalm 27:10). You may not always feel My presence, but you shall never lack it.
Remember God’s Power
Christian, you live your life and face your problems locked in the grip of a tender omnipotence. God speaks and it is done. He commands and it holds fast. His power is greater than all of your enemies. It only takes “a flash of the will that can,” and it is done. As the old spiritual goes, “God is bigger than any mountain that I can or cannot see.”
Remember God’s Promise
Christian, as we said on Sunday evening, your future is only as bright as all the promises of God. Think of your past, present, and future in light of the following promises:
No weapon formed against you shall prosper. (Isaiah 57:14)
No evil shall befall you. (Psalm 91:10)
Even the darkness is not dark to God, and the night is as bright as the day. (Psalm 139:11-12)
Wherever you go God’s hand shall guide you and His right hand will hold you. (Psalm 139:10)
Your lawless deeds and your sins God will remember no more. (Jeremiah 31:34)
God knows the plans that He has for you, plans for good and not for evil. (Jeremiah 29:11)
Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. (James 4:8)
God has enclosed you behind and before and laid His hand on you. (Psalm 139:5)
When you pass through the waters, they will not overflow you. And when you pass through the fire, you will not be burned. (Isaiah 43:2)
When you walk through the valley of the shadow of death, you will fear no evil, for God will be with you. (Psalm 23:4)
All things shall work together for your good. (Romans 8:29)
If you suffer with Christ, you will also reign with Him. (2 Timothy 2:12)
Goodness and mercy shall follow you all the days of your life. (Psalm 23:6)
You will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. (Psalm 23:6)
God will cover you with His pinions; under His wings you will find refuge, and His faithfulness shall be your shield and bulwark. (Psalm 91:4)
God will give His angels charge concerning you to guard you in all your ways. (Psalm 91:11)
The peace of God will guard your hearts and your mind in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7)
You can be content whatever you face through Christ who strengthens you. (Philippians 4:13 in context)
He who trusts in the LORD, steadfast love shall surround him. (Psalm 32:10)
Cast your burden upon the Lord and He shall sustain you. He will never permit the righteous to be shaken. (Psalm 55:10)
Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4)
Heaven and earth shall pass away, but not one jot or tittle shall pass away from the law until all is fulfilled. (Matthew 5:18)
If it were not so, Christ would have told you. (John 14:2)
Remember the Providence of God
All of the details of your life are controlled by the Lord God of heaven. “The doctrine of God’s sovereignty is simply the doctrine of God— that God is God in fact and in deed as well as in name” (A.W. Pink). This God is so overwhelmingly powerful that He can direct even the mistakes you have made and the sins you have committed to a good end. Nothing that ever has or ever will happen to you is accidental or incidental. Every event in your life, from the greatest all the way down to the least is meant only for your good and His glory.
Be of good cheer, My child, God says to you this morning, You are in good hands. “Be still and know that I am God.”