“Stop fighting, and know that I am God, exalted among the nations, exalted on the earth.” – Psalm 46:10

Yesterday we had wind gusts of nearly 100 miles per hour here in Southern Colorado. This morning on the news I saw that many semi-trucks had been blown over along the interstate and ended up on their side in a ditch. The drivers had decided they were going to be stubborn and fight those gusts; they decided to keep on truckin’. That decision cost them greatly. But the news crew also interviewed some truck drivers who made the decision to just pull over and wait out the wind, even though the horrible gusts lasted all day. These truckers lost an entire day of travel, but they still arrived at their destination a lot sooner than the ones that ended up in a ditch. Sometimes the best way to move forward is to simply take a moment and sit still.

I always heard Psalm 46:10 as “Be still and know that I am God.” But later in life I learned that “Stop fighting and know that I am God” is also a very good translation. This opened up a whole new understanding for me. You see, I always thought the verse was simply a warning against being too busy, which I believe is part of it. However, I now know that this verse is also talking about fighting against what God is doing. Sometimes we need to wait. Sometimes we need to take a moment and sit still to allow things to calm down. Sometimes God is not saying “no,” he is simply saying, “not yet.” When we try to battle against God’s timing, we can end up toppled over in a ditch along the road of life. Sometimes we get where we are going a lot quicker if we just take a moment and stop fighting.

Mighty God, You are the Lord of our lives. Today we submit to Your timing. Rescue us from our stubbornness. Give us the wisdom to stop fighting and simply sit still when needed.

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Shane Cannon