“When I heard these
things, I sat down and wept. For some
days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.” Nehemiah 1:3-4
As soon as tears filled Nehemiah’s eyes, his knees hit the
floor, and for several days he did nothing—nothing but cry, nothing but fast,
nothing but pray. “When I heard these things, I sat down and
wept. For some days I mourned and fasted
and prayed before the God of heaven”(Neh. 1:3-4). With his broken and burned down hometown in
dire need of repair, Nehemiah just sat still—or so it seemed. But his weeping eyes, rumbling tummy, and desperate pleas were accomplishing things far greater than any aid package or hasty assist ever could. Inactivity is not inaction, and Nehemiah was knowing His God—the only One who could bring a solution to this dismal situation.
“Be still and know
that I am God,” we’re directly instructed, yet surely this verse is meant
for the placid times in our lives when circumstances are calm and nothing
urgent is on the agenda. But it’s
not. The context of the psalm which
contains this famous phrase is chaos. “God
is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble”(Ps. 46:1) begins
this declaration of faith even as things
quickly fall apart with the earth quaking, mountains crumbling, and waters churning(vs 2-3), with nations roaring,
kingdoms falling, and the world melting(vs 6).
And as God overpowers our terrestrial calamities by breaking bows, shattering
spears, and burning shields in a blistering blaze, we are told to “be still and
know that He is God”(Ps 46:10). Knowing
who God in the middle of the mess lets us know what we should do next, but we must
begin by being still.
When your calendar is chaos or
your world comes crashing down, the best thing you can do is nothing—except
know that God is God. 
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