Come, see the works of the LORD, who brings devastation on the earth. He makes wars cease throughout the earth. He shatters bows and cuts spears to pieces; he sets wagons ablaze. “Stop fighting, and know that I am God, exalted among the nations, exalted on the earth.”
The LORD of Armies is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold.     Psalm 46:8-11 CSB

Psalm 46:10 is a popular verse. You may have heard it or read it as saying, “Be still and know that I am God.” If you are like me, being still is not easy. When there is a problem, I want to fix it right away. I have learned the hard way that sometimes the best thing I can do is be still and acknowledge that God is in charge.

Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us to trust in the LORD with all our heart and not rely on our own understanding. We are told to acknowledge Him in all we do, and He will make our crooked paths straight. It’s easy to read these verses but it’s a bit harder to live them out.

We are told in James 1:22 that we are not to simply read God’s word or hear God’s word, but we are to do God’s word. It’s easy to read or hear God’s word, but when God’s word tells us to be still and wait on Him, it’s hard to do. There have been times when God put me in a situation where I had no choice but to wait. I had to wholly trust in Him and His timing.

Oftentimes, we are required to wait for God to fight our battles or to work things out for our good (Romans 8:28). We may suffer while we wait. We are told in 1 Peter 5:10 that after we have suffered for a little while, God Himself will restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish us.

I have found that while I am waiting for God to help me with whatever it is, the best thing I can do is serve Him. When we are told to stop our fighting and know He is God, the best way to know and acknowledge He is God is to serve Him and offer Him honor and praise.

While you are waiting do the things that glorify God. Imitate Him as we are told to do in Ephesians 5:1. Study His Word, so you will know better how to do this. Serve Him by helping others. I have found that the best way to get my mind off of my problems is to help others with theirs.

I have also found that the more I do to serve Him, the less I focus on me. My focus should never be on me, it should always be on Him. But, if I have too much idle time on my hands before you know it, I will be thinking about myself and my own wants and needs.

Matthew 6:33 tells us that God knows what we need. We just need to focus on Him and He will supply all that we need.

I used to have a hard time with Psalm 46:10 and being still. But I have learned that God has a reason for this time of waiting. He uses it to teach us patience. He uses it to strengthen our faith in Him and to help us learn to trust in His timing. He also uses it to give us the time to serve Him and serve others.

If you are in a time in your life when you feel you need to be still and trust in God, use this time to serve Him. Use this time to work for Him while He is working things out for your good (Romans 8:28). Trust in Him and His timing. His timing is always perfect.

Have a great day!