Be Still and Know

In our modern way of talking, we interpret the command to "be still" as just an instruction to calm down and be quiet. But in the original Hebrew text, this phrase carries a greater weight. It means to let go, to let alone, to let drop, to abandon, and to completely forsake. It represents a total and deliberate letting go.

The context of this Psalm is based around troubling events. It says we will not fear though the earth be moved and the mountains be carried into the sea. It speaks of political turmoil among the nations and another verse says that the Lord makes wars to cease unto the end of the earth. And at the end of the Psalm, it says to be still, and know that I am God.

Relax. Be quiet. Let it Drop.

All of these types of events can cause turmoil of the mind, and rightly so. Let's face it, the human creature finds it incredibly difficult to let go, especially when facing great challenges. We struggle to quiet our thoughts, our planning, and our reflections, and, I might add, our worries. The human mind thrives on constant activity. If it isn't occupied with a problem to solve, it gets bored and immediately hunts for a new thing to get the thinking busy with again.

Perceive, Recognize, and Acknowledge

Yet, in the midst of all our mental traffic, the Bible tells us to: "Be still, and know that I am God." The word "know" here is a Hebrew term meaning to perceive, recognize, and acknowledge. Be still, perceive, recognize, and acknowledge that I am God.

The Lord is effectively saying, "Please, step back, still your frantic thoughts, and recognize who I am."

Is this perhaps something we routinely fail to do? It must be, or the Holy Spirit would not have preserved this instruction in the text. In the hustle, bustle, and constant churning of daily life, and the problems we regularly face, we easily lose sight of who God is.

Is this perhaps do on a regular basis, that is, fail to perceive, recognize, and acknowledge Him as God? It must be, or the Holy Spirit would not have spoken this instruction in the Scripture. In the hustle and bustle and constant churning of our mental activity, we fail to recognize who God is and acknowledge Him as such.

It's almost as if the Scripture is saying that we sometimes function under the delusion that we ourselves are God. And if we could just let all the peripheral noise go quiet, if we could discipline ourselves to let go of our efforts to control everything, then we could perceive Him and acknowledge Him as the God of our lives.

Acknowledge Him

It is impossible to truly acknowledge God while simultaneously leaning on our own understanding, because our understanding is taking God's place. When we rely entirely on our own logic, analyzing, and rationalizing, our intellect takes the place of divine trust. When our natural logic takes the place of divine trust, it becomes a subtle form of idolatry.

We must learn to trust less in our limited human perspective and place our weight fully on the God who sees eternity, the One who sees the end from the beginning.

If we acknowledge Him in everything we do, the Scripture promises that He will direct our paths. This means He will make our way of living pleasant, agreeable, and smooth. He desires to lead us into paths of peace and righteousness, or, we could say, peaceful paths.

The Renewing of the Mind

What does it mean to be renewed in your mind? The meaning of the phrase "the renewing of your mind" comes from two Greek words: the first, translated "renewing," is defined as "a renewal, renovation, a complete change for the better." And the second word is translated "mind," and it means "the intellectual faculty, the understanding."

Therefore, the renewing of your mind is the total renovation of our intellect. It is a complete overhaul of the way we think.

The Word Grafted In

How do we successfully renovate our thought life and change our thinking? We do it by receiving the Word of God.

James instructs us to approach the Word with meekness, a gentle, teachable humility, and receive the Word as a grafted or an implanted seed. This is an ongoing, daily process. He notes that this "engrafted" Word has the unique ability to "save your souls," which literally means to rescue, preserve, and deliver your mind.

It is truly ironic: we pride ourselves on our mental acuity and intellectual prowess, yet the Bible declares that our minds are the very things that need rescuing.

Knowing His Will

Renewing the mind means shifting our thinking until it aligns with God's thoughts and ways. Once this mental renovation takes place, recognizing and acknowledging Him becomes second nature because the inner tug-of-war has ended. We are no longer pulling in an opposite direction from the Lord. We begin to see our world through His eyes and clearly recognize His will for our lives.

As the conclusion of Romans 12:2 notes, a renewed mind allows us to "prove" what is that good, acceptable, and perfect will of God. To prove means to test, examine, scrutinize, recognize, and fully comprehend, in this case, what the will of God is. When the noise goes quiet, and the Word takes root, God's perfect will for our lives begins to become known to us.