The Bungee Cord 8-16-21

Hello,

There is a verse from Psalm 46 that often springs up in my mind. “Be still, and know that I am God.” The interesting thing about reading the Psalms is that when you change the emphasis on the words, a whole new window of wonder opens. Usually, I read this verse with the emphasis on “Be still”, but more recently I have been reading this verse with the emphasis on the word “I”.

When I read this verse with the emphasis on “Be still”, I find myself feeling like I am being asked to do something that is either very hard, or impossible to do. It is like telling person walking through the plains of Africa and a huge lion comes charging after you. “Be still”….right! Or it is like telling a young child who is awaiting her friends to come to her birthday party. “Be still”….right! Or it is like sitting in the doctor’s office and the doctor says, “There’s nothing we can do.” “Be still”…right! Being still is very hard to do, and often times impossible when fear, excitement, or doom enter the story. So, when I find myself emphasizing “be still”, I don’t find much peace coming from this verse.

But when I put the emphasis on the word “I”, things change. It is like drowning in a lake, and suddenly a life-guard grabs hold of you and says, “I got you.” It is like being cornered by a bully, and suddenly a kid twice the size of the bully takes his stand in front of you and says, “I am here, and you are going to have to get through me.” It is like hanging from a cliff and feeling your fingers starting to slip, and someone who is tethered to the cliffs repels down, puts a rope around your waist and says, “I am here.” When I put the emphasis on the word “I”, that is when peace and hope take hold of my heart, because I know that the one who says “I” is able to see me through.

When a lifeguard rescues a drowning person, the drowning person tends to continue to kick to stay above water, making the rescue even harder. It is after one is in the lifeguard’s grip that the lifeguard says, “Be still.” When a bigger person than the bully stands between you and the bully, trying to push the bigger kid out of the way and continue your fight only makes it hard for the person to protect you from the punches of the bully. It is after the big kid puffs up his chest and asserts his presence that he can say to the one being bullied, “Be still.” And when a doctor says, “There’s nothing we can do,” it is only after the one who died and rose embraces you with his promise, “Nothing can separate you from my love….not even death,” that the words “be still” settle down your raging heart.

“Be still, and know that I am God.”

Have a great week.

God’s grace and peace, (ggap)

Pastor Jerry Nuernberger

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