/strive/ : More Than Being Still

I am just coming home from being in old hometown in Advance; yesterday was my bachelor party for my upcoming wedding here at the end of the month. Nothing shady happened, I assure you, the more that you get to know me the more you’ll realize that I am just an 8-year-old at heart. So, to assuage that 8-year-old, we played outdoor Laser Tag. So, some people go to Vegas, others go to a full out Star Wars laser war.

So, last Sunday we concluded our four-week study on Methodism, and this week we are getting started on another series called /strive/. The root of this series came from my personal Bible study this week. I was reading Psalm 46 and came upon one of my favorite verses, “Be still and know that I am God.” I knew I wanted to do my next series on being still… especially after this time of pain and turmoil in the nation. But I was curious as to what other theologians might translate this verse into in different versions. It was the “be still” that had me perplexed. It sounds like something you tell a dog during a thunderstorm. Were the people of God literally shaking in their boots? Or did this mean something deeper and more profound. One translation stood out to me in particular. Instead of saying, “be still,” it used the terms “cease striving.”

Wow.

What a change some simple synonyms can make! Reading this passage as “Cease striving and know that I am God” clicked with me on such a deeper level. Needless to say, this inspired the series that we will embarking on for the next several weeks. But before we get too into the meat of this, let’s dive into the Word.

“4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 5 Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6 Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.”

-Philippians 4:4-9

Will you pray with me? God, please bless the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts together, that they may be ever-glorifying in Your presence. You are our Rock and Redeemer. Amen.

First things first, let’s get the elephant out of the virtual room: we ARE striving. We are all reaching out for something. No matter how much of a saint some of us may be, it’s non-negotiable that we are striving for something more. Especially in today’s culture, none of us are ever settled with one simple thing. We always need more. Some of us out there are striving for more money to buy more things. Some of us are striving for better jobs or a more powerful job. Others of us out there are striving for love and affection. Some of us out there are striving for things that are unknown to us… we just know that we crave it.

In this passage, God is calling out to us and telling us to cease, as in end completely, our striving for things. We are a people who are never satisfied. Even those of us content with one thing or another find ourselves striving for something else. For instance, now might be a time where many of us are striving for safety and peace.

So what? Why is it so bad to be a striving person? After all, it’s been said, “If you want it, you have to do it yourself.” Well, there certainly is nothing wrong with wanting things, but the issue comes in with the specificity of the word, “Strive.” When we strive for something, we stretch and do everything in our power to achieve it. We take it wholly upon ourselves and cease leaning on others. In issues of a spiritual nature, we stop trusting and leaning into God.

Maybe Psalm 46 is encouraging us to do more than just be still for a short amount of time. Maybe just because I am unable to sit still for five minutes without checking my phone isn’t the issue at large. Maybe the issue in Psalm 46 that the Psalmist is attempting to address is the lack of trust in our lives that we have for God.

In order to answer these hypotheticals, let’s break down Psalm 46 into several different sections, each section ended with the Selah.

¹God is our refuge and strength,
    a very present help in trouble.
² Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change,
    though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;
³ though its waters roar and foam,
    though the mountains tremble with its tumult. Selah

This section starts us off with an encouragement. It states that “God is our refuge,” and that it is for that reason “we will not fear.” There isn’t any kind of clause or asterisk there that says, we will not fear… unless a really bad hurricane hits. Or unless our nation is under attack. Or unless we are suffering from hatred. Or any other kind of justifier. No, the Psalmist is quite clear that the world is frightening. There are accidents, there are disasters, there are tragedies, BUT God is our refuge through them all. However, the writer does not stop there.

⁴ There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
    the holy habitation of the Most High.
⁵ God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be moved;
    God will help it when the morning dawns.
⁶ The nations are in an uproar, the kingdoms totter;
    he utters his voice, the earth melts.
⁷ The Lord of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

So, not only is God our refuge amidst the storms of the world, but “God is in the midst of the city.” He is not floating up above us all watching and judging. God is around us, literally. Many of our nations founding fathers and leaders were known as “deists.” This religious sect was known for being in a higher power, but also believing that that power was absent in our lives. The higher being, i.e. God, created humanity and then kind of steps back away from it and watches life unfold – chaos and all. This section from Psalm 46 couldn’t be encouraging us to acknowledge the opposite any more than it is. Not only is God our refuge, but God is also there for us day in and day out. He is literally and actually right by our side and in this thing with us. Even though we may reject Him and choose not to acknowledge Him, He is still right there with us in each challenge and blessing.

⁸ Come, behold the works of the Lord;
    see what desolations he has brought on the earth.
⁹ He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
    he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear;
    he burns the shields with fire.
¹⁰ “Be still, and know that I am God!
    I am exalted among the nations,
    I am exalted in the earth.”
¹¹ The Lord of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

Finally we reach the section that brings it to a full circle. God is not only our refuge, not only is He always there, but He is also actively, and passionately pursuing us and working in us. Even though the world itself actively tries to fight against Him (with wars, spears, bows, etc) He still is exalted and encourages us to cease our striving because He is God! All that we have to do is be still, cease striving and know that He is God. The same God who is our refuge, who is there and who is actively working towards us.

So, how can we know God? How can be still? Over the next four weeks, we are going to explore deeper into the Bible in order to know how to do exactly that. We are going to learn to stand against our natural inclination to strive, we are going to fight the noise, we are going to learn how to witness God’s power, and we are going to discover how to let go and let God change this world. Won’t you join us?