When Life Tumbles In, What Then?
Psalm 46
In those frightening times when our well-ordered life seems to tumble in around us, what are we to do? God’s simple admonition is to “cease striving and know that I am God” (v. 10). The verse is more familiar to many of us in the King James Version as “Be still and know that I am God.”
The idea seems trite at first consideration, but when we peel back the layers, we see that to cease striving means more than idly waiting for God to act. In fact, it means trusting that God is in control, no matter what calamity He has chosen to allow in our life. If God is permitting trauma, then there is a purpose behind it. And if there is a purpose, then our suffering has the potential for good. (Romans 8:28)
Also, we have the choice to submit to God’s will and whatever He chooses to do. Submission is a difficult response when we are experiencing hardship and pain, because we do not know the end result, and we have no control over the outcome. But if we trust that God is engineering the situation for our good, then we know that submission is our best option.
It is tempting to think that to cease striving is a weak response. Wouldn’t it be better to try manipulating the situation so that our pain will end? Actually, courage is required to sit still when everything in us wants to surge forward and change our circumstances. Do you have the courage to trust God to bring about good from your suffering?
Daily Devotions with Dr. Charles Stanlley, InTouch Ministries