10“Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
Psalm 46:10 (NASB95)
Have you ever watched birds? They seem to have different personalities. Some are stoic and settled. They sit atop a limb and watch everything going on. Others scurry about from point to point, limb to limb…busy to get to the next thing. And there are some in-between. They sit on a limb but are constantly nervous. The wind rustles slightly and they open their wings in preparation to make a quick escape only to lower their wings when the anticipated danger subsides.
Psalm 46 is a beloved song. Only eleven verses in the modern English translations. Only two calls to action on the part of the reader exist; two imperatives directed toward the hearer that demand an obedient response.
In nine of the eleven verses, the Psalmist presents God, the covenant God of Jacob/Israel in all His glorious provision. He is a refuge and help (v.1). He is unchanging (vv.2-3). He is the centerpiece of the city of God and all of creation serves Him as He reigns sovereignly over everything from nature to nations (vv.4-7). He is the great warrior who fights for His own glory and to the benefit of His people (vv.9, 11). He is our Refuge, our Ruler, and the Redeemer!
V.8 begins with the command to Israel and, by extension, to us today. “Come, behold the works of the Lord.” It is not a command to come and help. It is not a call to start something and ask the Lord to join you. It is not even a request for you to fill up the suggestion box of heaven with ideas for how you think God ought to act. It is simply a call to come and behold the Lord and His glorious workings in our midst.
Then comes the tenth verse. Cease striving, or in another translation, Be Still. This is the call to confidence. It is not a call to a vacation as we sometimes read it from our human perspective. It is not about passivity but faith. It is not apathy but rest. It is the relaxing of the wings of the nervous bird on a limb…the settling of one’s anxious longings and the answer to one’s worries. You might even use the word Trust in our modern language today to translate the idea. Yes…relax your wings. There are indeed predators and schemers in your midst, but you are known to and called by a God who reigns over them as well. Don’t waste your life away trying to control or fretting about things that are far too big for you to fix or defend against.
Consequently, v.10 draws a connection for us and helps us to see that our resigning, our relaxing of the wings sets the stage for God to be God and to do the things the rest of the Psalm points to. Cease striving and KNOW that I am God. I (not you) will be exalted among the peoples of the world and in the world of the people. The implication is clear and intentional. To continue to strive, to work at resisting, is to fight in God’s place. It is to elevate yourself to Ruler and Redeemer and to make for yourself a Refuge; or we can relax our wings. Trust the Lord who creates and controls the rivers. Trust the God who causes earthquakes to stop shaking. Trust the God who commands the hosts of warriors in heaven’s army. Trust the God who made His covenant with you. Trust the God who has already previewed the end of the story if we cease striving…KNOWING that He will be exalted among all peoples and in all the earth.
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