Someone shared it with me years and years ago . . . and the thought has stayed with me every since. The thought of possessing a jewelry box which contains gems of Scripture . . . those verses, those promises, those insights which, through the Spirit, we’ve uncovered over a lifetime of feeding on the Word of God. I’ve got to think that most, if not all, believers have such a “treasure chest” . . . and from time to time, while discovering new truths is exciting, there is something about taking out the already mined gems of Scripture and again beholding their beauty . . . considering their meaning . . . glorying in their truth. Such is the experience for me this morning as I read Psalm 46 . . . and again behold the beauty of verse 10.

I think Psalm 46:10 has to be one of the first, if not the first, gem that I placed in my “container of collectibles.” I discovered it, or perhaps it discovered me, within 6 months of being saved . . . and within just a few weeks of starting to fellowship with God’s people (it took me awhile after receiving Jesus as Savior to recognize I also needed to receive His people as fellow saints). I didn’t find this gem in the Bible . . . instead, I found it on the front wall of the small chapel I started attending. Week after week, I’d gather with that small company of believers, and from the pew look up at the wall and be reminded, “Be still and know that I am God.” Through that fellowship, God was laying the foundations of my Christian life . . . one of those foundations was Psalm 46:10.

The context for this “command” from God’s word is the promise and assurance that “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (v.1). The Psalmist declares that should the earth give away . . . should the mountains slip into the midst of the ocean . . . should waters roar and mountains shake all around us . . . yet there is a river which flows and makes glad those who dwell in the city of God (vv. 2-4). The Psalmist diverts our attention from the storms and focuses us on the holy habitation of God . . . and though the nations rage against her, “God is in her midst, she shall not be moved” (v.5). And so the Psalmist reminds us again, “The Lord of hosts is with us; the God Jacob is our refuge” (v.7). With us . . . our refuge . . . get that? He is the Sovereign over all heavens angels . . . He is the God who calls people to Himself with a promise . . . and He promises to be near us and to be a safe place for us. “Come behold the works of the Lord,” says the Psalmist, “Be still, and know that I am God.” (v.8a, 10a).

Oh, to quiet ourselves from time to time, sit back and be still . . . literally, “to idle ourselves” . . . and to reacquaint ourselves with God. To consider afresh His might and majesty . . . to behold the grandeur of His creation . . . to reflect upon the wonder of His salvation. If God is for us, who can be against us.

To be still and know the Second Person of the Godhead . . . to quietly reflect on the beauty of the Son . . . to marvel at the love of the Savior . . . to turn our eyes upon Jesus . . . and “the things of this earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.”

“Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” – Psalm 46:10

Oh, what a gem . . . what a beautiful treasure . . . what a foundational call . . . we are not to try and fit Him into the context of life, instead, we are to fit life into the context of the Lord of hosts who is with us . . the God of Jacob who is our refuge.

Be still my soul . . . be exalted my God! What a gem!