What we can’t do, God can. Turn it loose into his hands.

“God is a safe place to hide, ready to help when we need him.”

Psalm 46:1 MSG

Last week we talked about ‘Anticipointment’ – those hopeful expectations or requests that haven’t turned out as we wished. I believe Psalm 46:10 can give us some additional help in this struggle. It says, “Be still and know that I am God.” KJV

 When God challenges us to ‘be still’ I don’t think He wants us to go into a dark room and wrestle in our minds wondering if and when He will come up with a solution. So, let’s see what ‘be still’ means in the Hebrew language that gave us this verse.

The Hebrew word ‘pagah’ has many nuances. Here are some other translations used in Psalm 46:10. They include: “stop striving and know – relax and know – let go of your rigidity and know.” None of them is wrong.

The Psalmist is attempting to get us to know our Heavenly Father better than we do. God is saying to us, “I want you to know what kind of God you are serving.” He then says He is our refuge and strength and a very present help in our troubles. (Psalm 46:1)

In other words, when life tips upside down and we can’t seem to right our ship, He’s present, abundantly caring and aware, and best of all, able to save us. So, He says, stop striving, relax and watch me do what you cannot do. Lose your rigidity. You don’t need to understand it all for me to work on your behalf!

Then comes the part about us ‘knowing’ this information about Him. And here’s the fascinating description of what the Hebrew word for know (Yada) really means. It doesn’t mean know something or someone casually or haphazardly. This word ‘know’ is found in Genesis 4:1 where we read this: “And Adam knew (Yada) Eve and she conceived and bare Cain…”

 That means knowing God intimately, not superficially. It means taking every means available to get close to his heart and desires. And the end game? “The people who do know (yada) their God will be strong and do exploits!” Daniel 11:32 KJV

 And that’s where ‘anticipointments’ become launching points for the greatest life we can live!