Psalm 46

Stand and Be Still

Posted on by Betsy

A recent sermon led me to the wonderfully epic story of the Israelite’s escape from slavery in Egypt. You remember that story: Moses was empowered by God to lead his children to the Promised Land, which meant a long and dangerous journey out of Egypt into the unknown wilderness. Things seemed to be going all right until suddenly, they realized they were being pursued.

Chapter 14 of Exodus describes the Egyptian army and chariots charging after the Jews. Pharoah had changed his mind and wanted them back. He missed all that free labor, you know. The struggling, straggling, fugitive Hebrews were on the move. They were bounded by the desert, the sea, and the enemy. In effect, they were “sitting ducks” and the enemy was bearing down upon them at full speed. They were breathing down their necks, so close that the rumble of chariots and the shouts of the soldiers could be heard. Most of them must have already lost heart. But not Moses.

Listen to how he responds to them: 

Exodus 14 (New Revised Standard Version)

13 But Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid, stand firm, and see the deliverance that the Lord will accomplish for you today, for the Egyptians whom you see today you shall never see again. 14 The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to keep still.”

Who needed to hear that word today? Do not be afraid. Stand firm. Keep still. Oh, how we try to take matters into our own hands, doing so at our peril, when God is telling us to be still and let him fight for us.

Psalm 46 reminds us:

10 “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 of hosts is with us;

    the God of Jacob is our fortress. 

“Be still. Be still and know that I am God.” When the enemy is closing in, be still. When the manna is running low, be still. When the cancer diagnosis comes, when your spouse leaves, when your rebellious child suddenly moves away, when you lose your job, when addiction rears its ugly head, BE STILL. Stand firm, and do not be afraid. 

Moses was about the only one who didn’t lose his head or his faith. As God directed, Moses held his rod out, and God sent a strong east wind. The waters parted, and the nation of the Jews crossed over on dry ground. When that was accomplished, Moses raised his rod again and the waters rushed back, trapping Pharaoh’s army in muck and mire.

Is God telling you to stand down today? Is he telling you to stand still and watch him fight for you? Sometimes it is better to take a step back and wait. As hard as that is, remember that God will always go before you … and always has your back.

Just be still.

Stillness by Michelle Robertson

Life Guarding

Posted on by Betsy

Memorial Day Weekend brings many things to the Outer Banks: tourists, traffic, revenue, beautiful beach days, and good times. On the Friday prior, it brings something else: the return of the Life Guard stands.

This acts as a catalyst for locals. When we see the stands coming out of storage from the beach houses and being erected, our pulse quickens. Summer is finally and officially here! Businesses prepare, restaurants shine up, rental agencies ready welcome packages, and I begin to pray.

The season we all depend on and wait all winter long to enjoy will bring another thing that we dread: ocean rescues. When we vacationed here before moving here, I used to get excited when I saw the Coast Guard helicopters flying overhead, until I realized they aren’t training…they are rescuing. I see the guard stands returning as a sure sign of summer, but now I see it with a sigh in my heart. Someone will lose his or her life here on our beach this summer.

The beach areas on the North Carolina coast are subject to undertows and rip tides that have a deadly force. Posted all along our beach accesses are signs with information on how to stay safe in the water. Unfortunately, many folks don’t read these as they trundle by with their arms laden with umbrellas, towels, shovels, and coolers. 80% of all ocean rescues involve getting swimmers out of rip tides.

HERE IS HOW TO SAVE YOURSELF FROM A RIP TIDE:

1. Don’t panic. Rip Tides are only about 20-100 feet wide. You can swim out of one.

2. Don’t swim directly to shore. When you feel the undertow pulling you out to sea, the urge will be to swim straight to shore. That will result in your being pulled out to sea.

3. Swim parallel to the beach. This will enable you to swim out of the current. Think of it like a treadmill that won’t turn off: you have to “step off the side” to get out of it.

4. If you are too exhausted, just relax and float. Tread water until the current dissipates, and then slowly make your way back, swimming parallel to the shore at an angle. Signal for help and wait for the Life Guard to come to you.

5. Learn how to spot rip tides. They look like disturbances in the wave line. They can be a flat and glossy break in the wave pattern, or a foamy one. While the waves come parallel to the shore line, rip currents run straight out to sea, cutting the wave in half.

We struggle with rip tides in life as well. There comes a time in everyone’s life when a rogue wave suddenly breaks on your shore, cuts you off at the knees, and threatens to sweep you out into the deep. Death, divorce, cancer, job loss, the discovery of a spouse’s betrayal … all the things that catch us off guard can feel like we are caught in an emotional current of foamy power, and we can’t even keep our heads up.

Psalm 46 (Common English Bible)

God is our refuge and strength,
    a help always near in times of great trouble.
2 That’s why we won’t be afraid when the world falls apart,
    when the mountains crumble into the center of the sea,
3     when its waters roar and rage,
    when the mountains shake because of its surging waves. Selah

4 There is a river whose streams gladden God’s city,
    the holiest dwelling of the Most High.
5 God is in that city. It will never crumble.
    God will help it when morning dawns.
6 Nations roar; kingdoms crumble.
    God utters his voice; the earth melts.
7 The Lord of heavenly forces is with us!
    The God of Jacob is our place of safety. Selah

8 Come, see the Lord’s deeds,
    what devastation he has imposed on the earth—
9     bringing wars to an end in every corner of the world,
    breaking the bow and shattering the spear,
        burning chariots with fire.

10 “That’s enough! Now know that I am God!
    I am exalted among all nations; I am exalted throughout the world!”

11 The Lord of heavenly forces is with us!
    The God of Jacob is our place of safety. 

But just like a real rip tide, with God’s help you can swim out of yours. Even if all you can do is tread water and float until rescue arrives, you can survive. The trick is to keep your head up. Stay focused on God’s activity in the midst of your panic. Keep praying toward heaven for help until it arrives. Lift your eyes upon Jesus and don’t look down.

No matter what it is you are floating in, God is with you. As big and frightening as your troubles are, they will not overwhelm you. You belong to God.

Rip Tide courtesy of NOAA

Step Out of the Traffic!

Posted on by Betsy

If you have read these devotionals for a while, you know that while I love The Message translation for a different perspective on story-narratives, I dislike it for the Psalms. The Psalms were originally written to be songs of praise, lament, thanksgiving, wisdom, and trust. Peterson’s amazing ear for contemporary phrasing takes the lyrical flow away, in my opinion.

Today we are looking at Psalm 46. I love the phrase “be still and know that I am God” that is found in most translations. In fact, I used the NIV translation when I was putting together my book, Psalms by the Sea, for that very reason. There are several beautiful music arrangements of “Be still” that use this phrasing. However, when Psalm 46 popped up again in this week’s lectionary reading list, I decided to dip my toes into The Message to see what Peterson has to say. While not especially lyrical, I was not disappointed with his unique spin. See if you can spot the “be still and know that I am God” verse:

Psalm 46 (The Message)

1-3 God is a safe place to hide,
    ready to help when we need him.
We stand fearless at the cliff-edge of doom,
    courageous in seastorm and earthquake,
Before the rush and roar of oceans,
    the tremors that shift mountains.

What an amazing twist Peterson puts on this! God is a safe place to hide. Just that phrase alone speaks volumes to the discouraged, the abused, the addict, the downtrodden … to be reminded that God is ready to help when we need him is life-giving, even in those moments when we stand on the “cliff-edge of doom.” Having just come through another round of elections here in the United States, I really resonated with that. Are we never standing on the cliff-edge of doom anymore? A friend texted me the night that election results were being rolled out and said that he was “doom-scrolling” on social media. Actually, it doesn’t take an election to find yourself “doom-scrolling.”

    Jacob-wrestling God fights for us,
    God-of-Angel-Armies protects us.

4-6 River fountains splash joy, cooling God’s city,
    this sacred haunt of the Most High.
God lives here, the streets are safe,
    God at your service from crack of dawn.
Godless nations rant and rave, kings and kingdoms threaten,
    but Earth does anything he says.

Two take-aways in this section: God is at our service from crack of dawn because God neither slumbers nor sleeps. So, when you are pacing the floor in the middle of the night with fretful worrying, God is ready and able to hear your needs and take up your burden. And be reminded that the Earth does anything he says, so any man-made construct of institution, relationship, law, or oppression is subject to God’s power and God’s correction. Even the sun in its rising listens to God’s direction.

7     Jacob-wrestling God fights for us,
    God-of-Angel-Armies protects us.

8-10 Attention, all! See the marvels of God!
    He plants flowers and trees all over the earth,
Bans war from pole to pole,
    breaks all the weapons across his knee.

As the war in Ukraine continues to rage on, my heart is lifted to know that when Jesus returns, there will be no more wars. Weapons of war will be turned into plowshares so that the world might harvest God’s bounty together as one people. Lord, haste the day!


“Step out of the traffic! Take a long,
    loving look at me, your High God,
    above politics, above everything.”

Did you find it? “Step out of the traffic!” is the translation of “be still and know that I am God.” As always, Peterson’s whimsy made me laugh and nod my head. Yes, we need to step out of the traffic! We need take that long look at God and remember that he is above politics and above everything. What a soothing, timely message for us right now.

11     Jacob-wrestling God fights for us,
    God-of-Angel-Armies protects us.

Is God telling you to step out of the traffic of your situation or risk getting run over? Do you need to walk away from something destructive? Is God asking you to turn your eyes upon Jesus instead? If so, be still, and know that he is God.

Be Still by Kathy Schumacher