“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” Psalm 46:10 ESV

The world around us can be frightening.  There are all kinds of wars going on.  Not only physically wars, there are spiritual wars for our souls and those of our children. There are emotionally wars threaten our family relationships and friendships in the church.  There are religious wars and persecutions impend to shake our faith in Christ.  Overall the turmoil of the world, God sits enthroned on high and will win victory and safe passing to the other side for the Christian.

“The spiritual comforts which are conveyed to the saints by soft and silent whispers, and which come without observation, are sufficient to balance the most loud and noisy threatenings of an angry and malicious world.” (Henry Studies in the Book of Psalms)  The spiritual blessings and comforts that are available to the Christ follower are found in knowing God through His Spirit and the Word.   My own soul was weighted down by an imposing threat to one of my cubs and my momma bear instincts immediately came to the surface.  At that moment I couldn’t even pray with words.  All I could do was cry out to the Lord.  After letting out a flood of tears at Jesus’ feet, my heart was stilled by reading God’s Word and words of other saints that reminded me of God’s presence and faithfulness.  There are times with no feasible solution for our dilemma is within our reach.  The Lord is working through these circumstances that are out of our control to cause us to be spent of ourselves and depend on Him alone for deliverance.  “The storms of life often seem so imposing that our hearts faint within us.  Greater and greater a problem can grow, causing us to be discouraged and dismayed.  This is why it is important to keep our eyes fixed on God.  Focusing on our problems breeds fear.  But looking to God increases faith, bringing peace and comfort.” Steve Lawson

Whatever problems we face, from the minute yet constant burdens that make life wearisome to the giant crisis that hangs to our potential demise or that of our loved ones, we can be stilled by God’s steady anchor.  The Lord who rules over the wind and the waves has the power to hush the sea of trouble that befalls us or supply us the faith to rise above and walk on water.  Yet, our eyes lose sight of Him so quickly and we are overcome with fear.  This is when we most need to strain to look up directly to Christ and trust in His great and final victory on the cross.  Speaking of Martin Luther, Lawson said, “As he lay on his deathbed in Eisleben, Germany, his last words were, ‘Our God is the God from whom comes salvation: God is Lord by whom we escape death.’ Firm till the end Luther remained strong in his faith in the Lord”

Heavenly Father, you are perfect in power, wisdom, and goodness. You are worthy to be worshipped as creator and ruler of the universe—all our days and even in the most trying and dark hours.   Forgive us for allowing the world to weigh us down.  Please give us the grace to still and prostrate our hearts with your splendor.  Be pleased to deliver us from the entrapments of the world, the enemy, and even our own flesh—that you would be exalted through our life and testimony.  In Jesus’ name.

Photo used with the kind and gracious permission of Sara Alexander Photography. Check out more of her wonderful work on her Facebook fan page!