He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

Have you ever asked yourself if we can live in this present world peacefully? Some may answer, “Yeah,” and some may say, “Nope,” and still some others may say it might be too hard to live in this world peacefully anymore but Jesus can help us, if we place our trust in Him. God made a perfect world for us to live in, He gave us laws and rules, and policies and procedures to follow, He gave us family and friends to live together in unity. Yet, many people think that it is hard to live peacefully in this world, and it is because sinful humanity ended up having disagreements and divisions among themselves; and unhealthy man-made policies and procedures are not allowing people to live in peace. Some of the man-made rules and regulations are not helping to build a healthy society but ruining the values of our societies. Many of us do not realize that it’s beyond our ability to repair the damages we cause in our societies due to our selfish intentions. Due to such reasons, most of us are unable to stay strong when some of the unexpected real-time-life-threatening challenges come across our life. Some may know that it is far beyond our ability to control such situations, but still we are not ready to fully trust in the Lord. God said, Be still, and know that I am God (Psalm 46:10). It’s a very bold statement to make. This very verse assures us His power and security in this fragile world.

God, being the Creator of the universe – the heavens and the earth and everything in them (Genesis 1; Psalm 24:1), is in control of everything, great or small, that is going on in the universe. Yet, we, mankind – the rich and the poor, the literate and illiterate, the uplifted and the downtrodden, the fatherless and the widows, the destitute and the oppressed, the persecutor and the persecuted, and the rest of everyone else – do not fully trust in Him. Most of the time, the danger (great or small) we face in our day-to-day life is too strong for us to control. Yet, we ourselves try to solve it even though it is beyond our power and ability to do so. The real problem we face in our life are not the natural calamities like floods, drought, fires, earthquakes, tsunamis, famine, or similar disasters, in addition to the common struggles and danger we face in our life day after day. The real problem is man-made war or communal riots, oppression, persecution, and so on. The natural disasters are beyond human power to control, only God is able to stop them. However, for the man-caused troubles, we need to control them.  If we do not try to control it, then God will step in to control it. Psalm 46 is about God saving His people from both the natural calamities as well as from the man-made disasters.

If we look around us, we can see that most people we come across are living in fear and turmoil. It is because they see that the problem they are facing is bigger than God and themselves, and finally, it entangles them from all sides without leaving any leeway to escape. In the end, we blame ourselves and others saying, ‘things are not moving forward the way we thought or planned.’ What we need to understand is that if we are not in a position to help ourselves and others from our entangled situations, it is time to invite God into our life and ask Him to help us out. Stop relying on our own tried and failed abilities and start trusting in the Lord who is able meet us at the point of our need – whatever it may be.

When things are beyond our control, we might become very restless, which means, we are incapable of calming down our disturbed mind. This can easily lead to restlessness of our soul, body, mind, and our thought process and it can cause provocation, getting upset even for small things. If such restlessness is impacting on our day-to-day life, and all the precautions we took to overcome the situation are failing, it is time to pray to God for His power and security over our life. It is not too late to turn to the Lord, submit to His Will and ask for His help to take our life back. 

There are several examples recorded in the Bible related to overcoming situations with the help of God. When God sent plagues in the land of Egypt, it did not affect the place where the Israelites lived (Exodus 9:1-35 [key verse 26]). In addition to this, the Israelites were delivered from the Egyptian army (Exodus 13:17-14:31); King Jehoshaphat won the battle without fighting against his enemies (2 Chronicles 20); King Hezekiah overcame his enemies with the help of God (Isaiah 37); king Hezekiah was delivered from his illness by the help of God (Isaiah 38); God protects the fatherless, the widows, the weak, the needy, the oppressed (Psalm 82:3-4; Proverbs 23:10; 31:8-9); and there are many more such examples. Let us also see what we can learn from Matthew 14:22-33. According to this Bible passage, Jesus personally put His disciples in a boat and told them to go the other side as He went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Naturally, we will think that it would be a journey without any hindrances since Jesus Himself is involved in it. As the disciples were crossing to the other side, suddenly a furious storm came up and the waves almost broke the boat and it was almost impossible for the disciples to escape. Remember, some of these disciples were fishermen and they go far and beyond for fishing, and they know how to handle such situations in the roaring sea. However, with all their experiences and efforts and ability they tried their best to overcome the situation but they failed utterly until they called out for Jesus their Master for help. Even if the disciples were successful in their attempt, they could have just saved themselves and the boat, but when Jesus resolved the issue, He, not only saved His disciples, but also controlled the boat, the sea, the raging waves, the storm and whatever else threatened their existence. That was awesome that Jesus did it to protect His disciples (it is similar to how the Batman buying the bank itself that tried to confiscate his friend’s house in order to protect his friend’s house). In the first place, the disciples made an attempt to save themselves because they did not realize that what was going on was beyond their ability to control it.  When Jesus stepped into the situation, He said to His disciples, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid” (Matthew 14:27b), and he commanded the wind and the sea, “‘Quiet! Be still!’ Then the wind died down and the raging waves stopped and the sea became completely calm.” (Mark 4:39b).

God said, 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). He is the God who created us, He is the God who gave us life, He is the God who protected us in the past, He is the God who provided for us until now, He is the only God who is able to take care of us for the rest of our life, and He is the only God who assures us a life with Him in eternity. If we believe it, there is nothing, nothing, absolutely nothing that is too difficult for God. Why then, should we be worried. Just trust Him, in the end, God will be exalted among the nations and He will be exalted in the earth. Let us read the entirety Psalm 46, so that we may understand the full coverage of God’s care and concern for us: