Psalm 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God:
I will be exalted among the heathen,
I will be exalted in the earth.
I will be exalted among the heathen,
I will be exalted in the earth.
This verse is one of the most popular in the Bible. I have seen it on bookmarks, inspirational artwork, and painted on a sports car atop a 40 foot pole just north of Minneapolis on interstate 94 (it's true!).
Usually the first 7 words of this verse are cited ("Be still, and know that I am God") but the rest of the verse makes a very important distinction, our stillness must be matched by the exaltation of God Almighty.
Now that school is over for me (finally, after 13 years of college and seminary) I find that stillness can very quickly lead to idleness and wasted time if God is not rightly exalted. In our world today, we have constant access to a multitude of ways to "be still" but few of these also exalt God. Our leisure time needn't be blatant defiance to cause us to sin while we are still. The benign routines, habits, and persistent brainless and spiritless activities can very easily lull us into a sense of stillness without exalting God... and that my friends does not do justice to Psalm 46.
Bottom line- Psalm 46:10 does not give us license to do nothing or allow us to make a simple choice between one activity/behavior over another. Psalm 46:10 is a reminder that God Almighty WILL BE EXALTED and in order to know Him,we must exalt Him.
