In this article, we'll be looking at something that the Lord wants to use to encourage us. This word is an exhortation, it is an encouragement. I don't know where you are right now, in your dealings with God. I don't know what your expectations are, but God has brought a word of encouragement, and what we are looking at is; ‘Be Still and know: How God deals with our expectations.

 

The Bible makes us to know that the expectation of the righteous will not be cut off. Meaning that: God is interested in our expectations and God has dealings with our expectations; but how does God deal with our expectation? I want us to go to the Scripture in Psalm 46:10, it says; “Be Still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”

 

God did not just say ‘be Still’, if He just said, be Still, then maybe every day, we should just be Still, we should do nothing. But He said ‘be Still’ and while you are Still; and the reason why you must be Still is so that you will know that I am God. Let’s read Psalm 46:10 in the Amplified, Psalm 46:10, “Let be and be Still, and know (recognize and understand) that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations! I will be exalted in the earth!”

 

To know is to recognize. The Amplified helps us to open up the word know, because you asked but I know God. God is the Creator of heaven and earth. God is the Possessor of heaven and earth; He is my Maker: I know God, but there is something else that God is calling our attention to. He said, let it be; another word to let something be is to surrender. Another word is, let go of your concerns. The reasons you will let go of your concerns, the reason you will surrender is because you will know, and you will recognize and understand that I am God.

 

When God sent Moses to Pharaoh; Moses said, God, who will I say sent me, and He said, go and tell them that I Am has sent you. What is the meaning of ‘I Am’? It means that if you understand God, God is so many things. The reason why God gave Moses ‘I Am’ is because God is going to show up in Egypt in several ways. So, He said when you get there, tell them that ‘I Am’ has sent you. I Am that can bring frogs out of nowhere, ‘I Am’ that can bring locusts to destroy in one day, I Am that can kill all the firstborn without a birth record, ‘I Am’ that can turn water into blood, I Am that is able to bring boils overnight to an entire nation; I Am has sent you.

 

So, ‘I Am’ comes up again in Psalm 46, he says, recognize and understand that ‘I am God’. And that is the focus. The reason you are Still, the reason you will be Still, the reason you will ever be Still is because you know that He is God. He said, I will be exalted among the nations. What does it mean when God says I will be exalted? He said I will rule; I rule the nations, I will be exalted in the earth: I rule the earth.

 

There are some of us that believe in the audacity of the devil more than the sovereignty and the supremacy of God. The reason many of us are not Still, the reason many of us are tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine, the reason why someone would scream and everybody will start running is because we don't know that ‘I Am’ is the one that rules in the earth; He is the one that rules the nations. If God says nothing will happen, nothing will happen. If God says something will happen, something will happen.

 

As believers, it is important for us: if there is a Bible study you need to do in this period, study how God related with the children of Israel. It will give you a picture; it will not give you a full picture, but it will give you a picture of how God deals with us in Christ Jesus. Everything in the Old Testament is a type and shadow of the New. The reason why the Old Testament is not taken out of the Bible, so that all of us will be carrying New Testament, is because there are some things we must make reference to. The Bible says all Scriptures have been given for our correction, and our instruction.

 

So, when you see the dealings of God with the children of Israel, it will show you how God deals with us in Jesus. The Bible says, when the children of Israel are moving, he said, God become a pillar of cloud before them by day, and a pillar of fire behind them by night. Meaning that, you cannot touch My anointed and you can do My prophet no harm, why? My mark is upon them. So, Psalm 46:10, says, be Still! Be Still! Surrender! Don't be anxious! Let go of your concerns, for you will know that I am God.

 

The question is how many of us know God? How well do you know God? Who is God to you? Is He just One big person somewhere that you just know that there is God. The Bible says that even the demons know that there is God and they tremble, but the knowledge of God has not resulted to anything profitable in their lives. The Bible says that those that know their God, they shall be strong and do great exploits. The reason you will be Still is because you know your God.

 

Jesus came to Mary and Martha when Lazarus died. And Mary looked up and said, Jesus if You had come earlier, my brother would not have died; because I know You, I've seen You heal countless number of people. If You had come when Lazarus was sick, he won't have died: I know. I know that about You. But there was something Mary and Martha Still did not know and Jesus revealed it to them. He said, I am the resurrection and the life; you have known Me to the point where you know that if Lazarus was sick, and I came, he will not die. But do you know that even though Lazarus has died for four days, I can call him out of the grave. I am the resurrection and the life.

 

Many of us know God to be the God that can work in the heart of men to make provisions available. Do you know God is the same God that can send you to the mouth of a fish and money will be found there? The experiences we have, is an accumulation of how much of God we know. The testimonies in our lives, is to the degree of God that we know. Be Still and know that I am God.

 

Before Moses showed up as God to Pharaoh, Pharaoh did not know; when he even came to him, he said, my God has sent me to you, that let My people go that they may serve Me. He said, I don't know your God. Who is your God that I should let His people go? And God said, okay, you want to know Me; introduction number one - plague one. When he saw that one, he was not satisfied; I Still don't know this God. Introduction number two, he was Still not satisfied until all the plagues and his son died within his house, without anybody coming through the door. He said, okay, this God, I know Him a little; but he was Still not satisfied, he allowed them to go and he pursued them. And he saw the Red Sea part before the children of Israel, and they walked on dry ground. And he said, okay, we can also benefit from their God. And God said, I know those that belong to Me, I know My people, and He closed back the Red Sea, on the chariots of Egypt.

 

Anybody that desires to know God, God will reveal Himself to you. Be Still and know! The reason many of God's children are suffering is because we don't know, and it is important that we know. The reason many of us as children of God are not enjoying the benefits in God is because we don't know. God Himself said, My people perish, for lack of knowledge. It is not knowledge of mathematics or biology; it is the knowledge of God. Do you know Him? How well do you know Him? Your understanding of God, is it like Mary and Martha; you know Him to a point and you have enjoyed Him to that point: there is Still more of God to know.

 

And for the first time in the life of Mary and Martha, they saw God as the resurrection and the life. They went to the tomb of Lazarus, Lazarus was already stinking and He called forth Lazarus from the dead and Lazarus came forth. The disciples of Jesus had been walking with Jesus, they thought they knew God, they thought they had seen the power of God, they thought they had seen the hand of God until God showed them that He is able to turn the meal of one boy to feed three thousand men without children and women. And He took five loaves of bread, and two fishes, and He multiplied them until they had twelve baskets left. They thought they knew God until Jesus revealed to them that God is able to take a small thing and make it into much and cause it to overflow in abundance.

 

How much do you know God? The reason why we are not hungry in our generation is because we don't desire the dimensions and several dimensions that are in God. There are too many dimensions in God. The reason we are not seeing God in our generation is because we are not Still. To know God is to be Still. The first thing in Psalm 46:10 is, be Still and know: if you are not Still, you will not know. The prerequisite or the qualification for knowing God is that you are Still. You are too busy, you are too anxious, and you are not settled; surrender! Let go! Be Still and you will know.

 

The reason you don't know is because your mind is trying to figure out; how would these things be? Your mind is trying to calculate. You are bringing logic into knowing God; that's why you don't know. Be Still and know that I am God. So, we're going to look at why we should be Still: the focus is, be Still and know; because if you can get the Stillness sorted, you will know. Reasons to be Still or why should we be Still?

 

Number One: Exodus chapter 14:14, “The LORD will fight for you and you shall hold your peace”. The LORD will fight for you and your posture will be to hold your peace. The reason you need to be Still is because it is the LORD that will fight for you.

 

Jesus said, in this world you will have tribulations, you will have trials; you will encounter battles but be of good cheer. Be of good cheer is like hold your peace. Things are not going the way you want it to go; hold your peace! You have been praying and you're not getting the desired result; hold your peace! You have been trusting God for something, it is not coming; hold your peace! He said, the LORD will fight for you and you will hold your peace. Your posture, your Stillness is to hold your peace.

 

Hold your peace! As the devil is going about like a roaring lion, hold your peace! As the devil is going to and fro and his considering your life; hold your peace! That is how to be Still: because the LORD will fight for you. The LORD will fight for you because He is the Lion of the tribe of Judah. You are the daughter, and you are the son of a Lion. He is the Mighty Man of war. When God wants to introduce Himself and He calls Himself the Lord of hosts, He means the LORD of heavens army. There is no army on the earth that is as regimented, as disciplined, as ordered, as powerful, as equipped as the army of God. And that is the army that God is going to use to fight for you, so hold your peace!

 

When Daniel was praying and his prayer was interrupted, Daniel did not have to do anything; he kept praying: he held his peace! To hold your peace is to hold ground. The thing is not looking like the things you want to see; hold your ground! Hold your ground in faith! Hold your ground in God! That I believe my Redeemer is able, I believe my God is able, He is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all I can ask or think according to His power that is at work within me; so you should hold your peace, because He will fight for you. He said, vengeance is mine, I will repay says the LORD.

 

So, you don't have any reason to be unsettled. The Bible says the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but they are mighty in God to the pulling down of strongholds. Our weapon is mighty in God. He will fight for you. So, don't be unsettled. Surrender! Somebody offended you, somebody said something wrong to you; the battle is not yours, the battle is the LORD's. Be Still then you will know that He is God: the God that fight for you. He fights and He does not lose a battle.

 

The Bible says we are more than conquerors and overcomers in Christ. So, why do you want to be unsettled? Why do you want to go up and down disturbing yourself? Be anxious for nothing the Bible says but in all things, in prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, make your request known to God; the One that can defend you when you are asleep.

 

Number two: reasons to be Still: 1 Corinthians chapter 3:16-17, “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.” If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. If anyone, including the devil and his demons, defiles the temple of God; God will destroy him. 1 Corinthians chapter 6:19, “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?”

 

The reason you should be Still is that you are not your own. You are God's temple. God takes care of whatever belongs to Him. Be Still, because you are God's temple. Habakkuk chapter 2:20, “But the Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before Him.”   There are some things that are not prayer points if you get the principle. So, Habakkuk 2:20, says, the Lord is in His holy temple. So, as long as the Lord is in His holy temple, the whole earth will keep silent before Him.

 

So, when God is in your life, when God is in your body, when God is in your spirit; the whole earth will be silent before Him. The Bible says, no weapon formed against you shall prosper, why? The Lord is in His holy temple. Every tongue that rises up against you in judgment is condemned, because the Lord is in His holy temple.

 

So, when you are Still, as one that is the temple of God, what is your posture? Your posture is to make sure that the Lord remains in His holy temple; which is in you. Honor God in His temple, adore Him in His temple, and worship Him in His temple. That's why Apostle Paul was saying in Romans chapter 12:1, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” Another word you can use is, ‘this is all you need to do’.  

 

Once you are owned by God, God will guard you, God will guide you and God will make sure that His investment is not tampered with. Are you God’s investments on the earth? If you are God’s investment on the earth, then God is duty bound to protect you. But, if you have not become God’s investments on the earth; you must become His investment. Why was God with Israel and not other nations? It is because they were His investments.

 

If you read how God was relating with the children of Israel, He says, I've become as a husband, that Israel has become My wife. Have you seen a responsible man that does not protect his wife? Whatever the husband owns, the wife owns: because God is a responsible husband, He takes care of His wife. And that's why in Christ Jesus, the Bible made us understand that we are the bride of Christ, and Christ is the Bridegroom. So, in Christ Jesus, we are treated as His bride; we are treated as His wife and Christ is not an irresponsible husband.

 

If you belong to Him, be Still. If you are His temple, be Still. Be Still and know that He is God. The God that is covenant keeping; you can break yours, He doesn't break His: He is faithful. The Bible says God is faithful; you can trust Him with your life. The reason the whole world revere and regard God is because He is not a man that He should lie, nor a son of man that He should repent.  

 

Number three; Reasons to be Still: Psalm 37:7, “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; do not fret (another word for fret is to be afraid) because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.” Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him. The reason you need to be Still is because you wait patiently. What happens to those that rest in the Lord and wait patiently? Let's see Isaiah chapter 40:31, “But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”

 

When you are Still; you are waiting patiently on the Lord. The Bible says your lot is that your strength will be renewed. They shall mount up with wings like eagles: they will be high fliers. As you wait on the Lord, He makes you a high flyer. They shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint: this is your lot; this is your portion as you wait on the Lord. When we rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him, it means we are Still. And the reason we are Still is because we know the One we are waiting on. As we are waiting on Him, He is renewing our strength. He is not wasting our time as we are waiting on Him. He is not given us over to the wish of our enemy as we are waiting on Him. He is making us to become a high flyer. He said we will walk and not faint; we will run and not be weary. Be Still!! This is the testimony of those that are Still.

 

Number four; Reasons to be Still: Mark chapter 4:39, “Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be Still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.” This story was when Jesus told His disciples, let us go to the other side; that word had preceded their movements. And as they were moving, because their movement was going to take place on the sea, the Bible says and the wind became contrary.

 

Many of us, the Word of God had gone ahead of us and the situation on the earth is looking contrary. The situation in your country is looking contrary. Be Still! The Lord says when you are Still, He will rebuke the wind. He will arise and rebuke the wind and say to the sea, peace, be Still and the wind and the sea will obey Him. The reason you have to be Still is because situations obey Him. Creations obey Him.

 

They were fighting in the valley, and Joshua prayed to God. God, if night should fall; we will lose this battle. And he cried out to God and God kept the sun Still. The God that kept the sun Still, He is the God you need to know because situations obey Him. Creations obey Him. Creatures obey Him.

 

God needed to teach Jonah a lesson. He commanded a fish to swallow him for three days and not to eat him. If that fish did not obey God, Jonah would have been gone. Lions obey Him. Fire obeys Him. Water obeys Him. That's why you need to be Still; situations obey Him. Circumstances obey Him. They brought a boy, who was jumping from water to fire to Jesus and Jesus came and touched him and that epileptic situation obeyed Him. Death obeyed Him. Blindness obeyed Him. Situations obeyed Him; that’s why you need to be Still.

 

You should follow God that situations obey Him; you don't follow somebody that everything defies him. The Bible says, at the name of Jesus, every knee bows and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord; so, be Still. There is nothing that is beyond Him. The Bible says with God, all things are possible. Without God, nothing is possible; but with God, all things are possible.

 

 Number five; Reasons to be Still: Psalm 107:29, “He calms the storm, so that its waves are Still. Then they are glad because they are quiet; so He guides them to their desired haven.”  Why do you need to be Still? You need to be Still because God is in charge. Whatever situation you are confronted with, whatever issue might come your way, understand this for a truth not a fact; that God is in charge. There is no situation that is above God. The Bible says, for we are seated with Christ in the heavenly places, far above (when something is above is already above; then when it is now far, it means that there is space: there is gap) principalities and powers.

 

We are seated! When somebody is seated above something, does it not mean that he's stepping on it? He has it under him. God is always in charge. There is no circumstance that is above God; all circumstances are beneath Him. He speaks and it comes to pass. He was saying in the Book of Isaiah, He said, who declares a thing and it comes to pass except God. Bring your idols, how many of them say something before it comes to pass? He said, it is only I, God; declaring the end from the beginning, calling the things that are not as though they were. He’s in charge!

 

Hebrews 11, by faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible; they are made of things that are invisible. The worlds are framed by the word of God. The Bible says, He sustains all things, not some things. He sustains all things by the Word of His power.

 

Lastly, Isaiah chapter 30:15, “For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and confidence shall be your strength.” We mentioned that to be Still is to acknowledge God; knowing God: knowing that you are the temple of God. So, have you gone away from God? In returning and rest you shall be saved. All that is going on in the world today, don't think the world will get better: Jesus Himself said, in this world, you will have tribulations; but this is how you overcome: this is the victory that overcomes the world, your faith in God; which is on the premise of knowing God: in returning and rest you shall be saved.

 

Have you gone far away from God? This is a time to return. Your salvation from the chaos of the world is in returning. The prodigal son went to join himself to a country man where he spent all and he came to himself; he said, if I will but return. He said, the servants in my father's house are enjoying better than this. He said, I am not worthy to return as a son, but if I can return even as a servant; in returning and rest, you shall be saved.

Thanks for the gift of your time, We are Lara Gboyega Adedeji and Obayomi Abiola Benjamin!

Feel free to share your thoughts or testimony in the comment box below. I promise to respond to them as soon as possible!