Peace, Be Still!
Opening Prayer
Thank You, God, for Your loving presence. Thank You that You are present in my need.
Read Psalm 46
[1] For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. According to alamoth. A song. God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. [2] Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, [3] though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. [4] There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. [5] God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. [6] Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. [7] The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. [8] Come and see what the LORD has done, the desolations he has brought on the earth. [9] He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire. [10] He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” [11] The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
How are we called to respond to overwhelming storms?Selah (which occurs three times in this psalm is a musical term which interrupts the flow of the psalm and causes us to stop and notice. It means that we are to pause in God’s presence. The music and the words have much to say to us. But so does the silence. There is something that we cannot hear in any other setting.
The first Selah occurs after a reminder of both God’s power in the midst of overwhelming calamities and his presence with us in those moments (1–3). The other two instances occur after the refrain or chorus, which again speaks of God’s presence and power (7,11). We need these mighty truths to settle deep into our spirits and for this to happen, we must take time to sit in silence before our God. We must learn to be still.
I don’t know about you, but I often lose sight of God, his care for me and his power to change me and my world in the busyness of life or the high energy and focus of a crisis. That’s when I need the reminder to be still. And when I’m still, somehow I’m reminded of who God is and his presence with me.
Apply
Sing or say the words “Be still and know that I am God” and remember to say or sing them throughout today and this week.
Closing prayer
God, You are my safe place of shelter, where I can quietly rest and be restored.
Click here to sign up to receive the EXTRAs via email each quarter.
© 2025 Scripture Union U.S.A. All rights reserved. Reproduction of the whole or any part of the contents without written permission is prohibited.
Discovery is published in the USA under license from Scripture Union England and Wales, Trinity House, Opal Court, Opal Drive, Fox Milne, Milton Keynes, MK15 0DF.