"Be still, and know that I am God."

[Psalm 46]

"Patience and waiting in hope are the foundation of spiritual life." (Simone Weil). Henry Nouwen, in his book The Spirituality of Solitude, says, "The mother of hope is patience," and he speaks about the act of waiting patiently in the following way: "To wait patiently means to let our tears and mourning become the preparation for purification. Through this, we will finally enjoy the joy that has been promised to us... When we believe that patience can help our hopes grow, only then can destiny become a calling, wounds become a call for deeper understanding, and sorrow can be transformed into the birthplace of joy."

What do you think about these words? I am reminded of the verse from Job 23:10: "But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold." The difficult, frightening, and challenging circumstances in our lives are like the tools of a furnace, refining us. One of the things formed in us as we enter and leave that furnace is "patience." Michael Molinos says: "The purification of the soul through suffering brings forth patience. In the midst of suffering, we can train the highest virtues, such as love and mercy. Suffering destroys and purifies the ego. It takes things of the world and transforms them into things of heaven. There is no time when God leaves us in suffering in such a way that draws us closer to Him."

What should we do in times of suffering? When unexpected things hit us like a storm on the sea, affecting ourselves, our family, our business, and our church, what should we do? I want to reflect briefly on two points, centered on Psalm 46. I pray that, by the grace God provides, each of us will experience a deep encounter with God even in the midst of the storms of life.

First, we must not be afraid.

Please look at Psalm 46:2-3: "Therefore we will not fear, though the earth be moved, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah." This refers to the most terrifying phenomenon, shaking the very foundations of the world (Park Yunseon). I wonder if such terrifying phenomena could exist in our lives. What are the most frightening things that could shake the very foundation of our faith? According to psychologists, humans experience great fear when a powerful external challenge arises. The fear comes when a challenge stronger than oneself approaches. However, there is an even greater fear for humans, and that fear does not come from an external challenge, but from within. This internal challenge is none other than loneliness. The feeling of being alone. It’s the sense of being cut off from everyone, with no one to talk to, no sky, no earth, just a forsaken, solitary existence. Loneliness, the fact of being abandoned alone, is considered the greatest fear, the pinnacle of fear, by psychologists (Internet). I believe this makes sense. The feeling of being all alone... it must be terrifying. This unconscious fear within us can devastate our lives in four main ways (Internet):

1. Fear paralyzes our potential. It binds our talents, makes us hesitate, and ultimately causes us to miss opportunities.

2. Fear destroys our relationships. It prevents us from being honest with others. We fear rejection and, therefore, wear a mask, pretending to be someone we’re not, denying our real feelings.

3. Fear interferes with our happiness. We cannot be happy and fearful at the same time.

4. Fear hinders our success. We often focus not on what we hope will happen, but on what we fear might happen, preparing ourselves for failure. Fear causes what we fear to manifest.

In Deuteronomy 1:29, Moses tells the people of Israel and us: "I said to you, 'Do not be terrified or afraid of them.'" Why should we not fear? The Bible gives a couple of reasons in Deuteronomy 1:30-31:

1. Because God will fight for us.
   Look at Deuteronomy 1:30: "The Lord your God, who goes before you, will fight for you, according to all He did for you in Egypt before your eyes."

2. Because God will guide us and carry us.
   Look at Deuteronomy 1:31: "And in the wilderness where you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a man carries his son, in all the way that you went until you came to this place."

We have already meditated on how King David, the psalmist, overcame fear in Psalm 27:1-6 in three ways. Therefore, when we face fearful situations in our own lives, I challenge you to apply these three principles:

(1) We must be brave.

Currently, we must be brave because we look to the Lord, who is our light, salvation, and the power of life, in our fearful situations. We must be brave by meditating on the grace of past salvation (victory). Since we fully trust in God, we must entrust our future to Him.

(2) We must pray to the Lord in fearful situations.

Let us ask for just one thing. Let us dwell in the house of God and behold His beauty. By looking at His face, let us have peace in our hearts, His protection, and the hope of victory.

(3) In fearful situations, we must praise our God.

As victors, we must offer sacrifices of thanksgiving. Just like Paul and Silas, we must pray and praise God even in prison.

Lastly, secondly, we must be still and know that He is God.

Let us look at Psalm 46:10: "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." Even if we encounter the most fearful situations that shake the very foundation of our faith, like the psalmist says today, we need to be still. Even though the mountains shake and tremble, we need to remain quiet before God. We must be silent before Him. In the silence, we must hear the voice of God speaking. To do this, we must ensure that our hearts are not busy. Ultimately, the silence of the heart is much more important than the silence of the mouth. Abba Poemen said the following: "When a person is silent, he may be considered to be in silence. However, if his heart is condemning others, he is speaking continuously. But there may be another person who speaks from morning till night, and yet, he is truly in silence" (Internet).

What is the voice of the Lord that we must hear in the silence? The voice that we hear in today’s passage, Psalm 46:10, says: “Be still, and know that I am God.” What kind of God is the one speaking to us in this passage? We can think of Him in four ways:

(1) God is our “refuge.”

Look at Psalm 46:1, 7, and 11: "God is our refuge and strength..." (v. 1), "The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge" (v. 7), "The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge" (v. 11). The psalmist, in a world that is shaking and trembling, did not fear but fled to God, his refuge. Why did the psalmist flee to God? Because he longed for the grace of salvation. Look at verse 4: "There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High." The "river" here symbolizes "the revelation of God, the source of salvation." And the phrase "make glad the holy place of the Most High" means that where God's grace of salvation is, there is joy (Park Yoon-Seon). In other words, the psalmist fled to God’s sanctuary because it is the place of grace and joy where salvation is found.

(2) God is the Immanuel God who is with us.

Look at Psalm 46:7 and 11: "The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge" (v. 7), "The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge" (v. 11). Deuteronomy 1:42 says: "But the Lord said to me, 'Tell them, do not go up or fight, for I am not among you, lest you be defeated by your enemies.'" This verse teaches us that if God is with His people, they will win the battle, but if He is not with them, they will lose. The secret to victory is that God is with us.

(3) God is our strength.

Look at Psalm 46:1: "God is our refuge and strength..." Doesn’t Psalm 18:1, which we already meditated on, come to mind? "I will love You, O Lord, my strength." Dr. Park Yoon-Seon said: "It is indeed God who is our strength, for He enabled David to defeat Goliath with a single stone. The power of sin is strong, but the power of God is stronger." When faced with big problems or difficulties like Goliath, we feel our weakness or incapacity. In such moments, we turn our eyes to God's omnipotence and rely on Him.

(4) God is our great helper in times of trouble.

Look at Psalm 46:1 and 5: "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble" (v. 1), "God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her at the break of dawn" (v. 5). The Hebrew word for "a very present help in trouble" is translated as "He who is thoroughly proven as our help in times of distress" (Park Yoon-Seon). Have we truly experienced the help of God in times of adversity? Isn’t God proven as the one who helps in times of trouble? We must remember that God is "the great help" in trouble. No matter how great the difficulty, God is "the great help." And this God helps us "at the break of dawn" (v. 5). The word "dawn," in contrast to the darkness of the night, symbolizes salvation and joy (Park Yoon-Seon). It means that God helps us in our distress, delivers us, and gives us the joy of salvation as a gift. The fact that God helps us at dawn signifies that He helps us "swiftly" (Park Yoon-Seon). As an example, in 2 Kings 19:35, we see that the Assyrian army was destroyed by God’s miracle, and it was discovered early in the morning. God solves our problems without us even knowing or thinking about it. Before we even start to work on solving our problems, He has already provided the solution (Park Yoon-Seon).

It is said that the father eagle, in its safe nest made high up in a secure place, begins to train its young when the time comes. The eagle first brings thorns and places them in the nest, then flaps its wings above them. The young eagles, pricked by the thorns, become restless and jump out of the nest. They then try to fly, flapping their wings after the father eagle. However, since they have no strength in their wings, they inevitably fall from the high place. At that moment, the father eagle spreads its wings and catches the chick, placing it on its back (source: Internet).

How frightening it must be when the young eagle, lacking strength in its wings, falls from a great height! However, if it knows that the father eagle will spread its wings to catch it and place it on its back, wouldn't it become more courageous and brave? Let us remember this: the young eagle experiences the salvation of the father eagle only when it falls from the high place after leaving the nest. Therefore, we must not be afraid. If the father eagle acts in this way, what about our Heavenly Father? He is our refuge, the God with us, Emmanuel, our strength, and a great help in times of trouble.

With a heart that desires to remain quietly before God, acknowledging His sovereignty,

Pastor James’ Sharing
(After praying for the brethren in their suffering)