Today we are facing, in most of our lives, some unforeseen crisis. The job market is strong and unemployment is low, but inflation and the Federal Reserve's efforts to fight it is keeping the recession very much alive. The Feds keep raising the interest rates in an effort to bring inflation under control. This continue to push up borrowing costs, making it more expensive to buy a house, cars, and carrying a balance on your credit cards. In the wake of the Russian's invasion of Ukraine, gasoline prices hit an all time high.
According to NPR, the unemployment rate for African Americans has hit an all time low of 4.7% in April, 2023. Employers are having to pay more to attract workers. Wages are growing and inflation is higher. The price to buy food and household building materials is ridiculous. People are concern about the health of the economy and economists are saying that the consumer confidence numbers are getting worse.
The poor people are suffering beyond measure. The rich people continues to exploit a system designed for them, by them. I must confess these are weary times. It is the hard times and the worst of times that our faith is tested. But we have a God who loves us and cares for our every need. God, "is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us" (Ephesians 3:20). My recommendation is, "Stand still and know" that there is nothing impossible for God.
The Bible is filled with so many stories of God showing us that there is absolutely nothing impossible for him. "Everything is possible for him who believes" (Mark 9:23). Looking at Psalms 46:1-2, it reads, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea." Wow, this sounds terrifying and pretty devastating. This causes you to think about the different storms that are caused by nature such as earthquakes, hurricanes, and tornadoes. But we experience many personal storms in our lives. With all of these personal storms that rack havoc in our lives, the Psalmist from the very beginning tells us, God is, not God maybe, or God might, or God could possibly, but God is our refuge and strength and He is there in the very midst of our trouble. It does not matter how the trouble happen or why it happen or who may have caused it -- God is there. In his conclusion he reminds us, "Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth" (Psalms 46:10).
In the Bible, in both the Old and New Testament, God demonstrated His power. One of the most well known demonstrations of God's power is when He parted the Red Sea. The children of Israel were slaves in Egypt. Scripture tells us the Lord heard their cries and their groans, and He remembered His covenant with Abraham. Moses was the chosen one to go down to Egypt and free God's people. Ten plagues later: water turning into blood, frogs, lice, flies, livestock, pestilence, boils, hail, locusts, darkness, and the killing of firstborn children, Pharaoh finally released the Israelites. After their release, the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, so that he pursued the Israelites. The Egyptians, including all of Pharaoh's horses and chariots, horsemen, and troops pursued them. But Moses told the people, "Don't be afraid. Just stand where you are and watch, and you will see the wonderful way the Lord will rescue you today. The Lord will fight for you, and you won't need to lift a finger" (Exodus 14:13-14). "Be still and know!" Know what? That God is God. You know how the story ends. God departed the Red Sea and all of the Egyptian's army was drown. God showed His power over nature and in battle.
Another example where God demonstrated His power, in the idea case of "Be still and know." After Moses and Joshua was leading the Israelites into the promise land, and after crossing the Jordan River, the Israelites begin to conquer Canaan. Jericho was the first to fall. The city of Jericho was and is the oldest inhabitant city in the world. In some places it fortified walls are up to 25 feet high and 20 feet thick. Jericho was a symbol of military strength and the Canaanites considered it to be invincible. The gates of Jericho were kept shut because the people were afraid of the Israelis. No one was allowed to come in or go out. The Lord told Joshua, "Jericho and its king and all its mighty warriors are already defeated, for I have given them to you. Your entire army is to walk around the city once a day for six days, followed by seven priests walking ahead of the Ark, each carrying a trumpet made from a ram's horn. On the seventh day you are to walk around the city seven times, with the priests blowing their trumpets. Then, when they give one long, loud blast, all the people are to give a mighty shout and the walls of the city will fall down; then move in upon the city from every direction" (Joshua 6:2-5). Isn't it amazing how the Lord will fight our battles, if only we can "be still and know? When the Lord tells you that He is going to do something for you, you can surely believe it. Joshua did exactly what God commanded him to do. So on the seventh day, doing exactly what God told them to do, the seventh time they went around the city, the priest blew their trumpets and Joshua yelled to the people to, "Shout! The Lord has given us the city" (Joshua 6:16). God truly did give them Jericho. Look at God!
What about the story when the Philistine captured the Ark of God from the battleground at Ebenezer and took it to the temple of their idol Dagon, in the city of Ashdod. Dagon was the chief god of the Philistines. They believed that this god sent rain and assured them of a bountiful harvest. The Philistines was like most of their neighboring nations, they worshiped many gods. The more gods they had on their side, the more secure they felt. That is why they wanted the Ark of God. Everyone had heard about the awesomeness of the Israelites' God, so they thought that if the Ark helped the Israelites, it could help them too. The citizens went to see the Ark the next morning, "Dagon had fallen with his face to the ground before the Ark of Jehovah" (1 Samuel 5:3). They set him up again, but the next morning the same thing happened. Dagon had fallen face down before the Ark, but "this time his head and hands had been cut off and were lying in the doorway; only the trunk of his body was left intact" (1 Samuel 5:4). There is only one true God and He has all power in His hands. God clearly tells us, "for you shall not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God" (Exodus 34:14), and "The Lord is a jealous God, filled with vengeance and rage. He takes revenge on all who oppose him and continues to rage against his enemies" (Nahum 1:2) Then the Lord began to destroy the people of Ashdod and the nearby villages with bubonic plague. When the people realized what was really happening, they said, "We can't keep the Ark of the God of Israel here any longer. We will all perish along with our god Dagon" (1 Samuel 5:7). They called a meeting and had the Ark removed.
Samuel became the last of Israel's judges that began in the days when Israel first conquered the Promised Land. God was always their Leader, but a judge was God's spokesperson to the people. When the Ark was taken to Kiriath-jearim, the Ark remained there for 20 years. The bible says that, "The Ark remained there for twenty years, and during that time all Israel was in sorrow because the Lord had seemingly abandoned them" (1 Samuel 7:2). Samuel told them, "If you are serious about wanting to return to the Lord, get rid of your foreign gods and your Ashtaroth idols. Determine to obey only the Lord; then he will rescue you from the Philistines" (1 Samuel 7:3). So they destroyed their idols and worshiped only the Lord. Samuel and the Israelites went to Mizpah, so he could pray to the Lord for them. It was at Mizpah that Samuel became Israel's judge. When the Philistines heard that they were at Mizpah, they mobilized their army and advanced upon them. The Israelites became very frightened and begged Samuel to beg the Lord to help them. Samuel made a burnt offering to the Lord and pleaded with Him to help Israel. Just as the Philistines were arriving for battle, "the Lord spoke with a mighty voice of thunder from heaven, and they were thrown into confusion, and the Israelis routed them, and chased them from Mizpah to Bethcar, killing them all along the way" (1 Samuel 7:10). Look at the power of God. That's why it always pays to, "be still and know."
There are so many stories throughout the Bible, that talks about the mightiness of God's power and His unfailing love for us. God will use any means necessary to accomplish His will for our lives. God is sovereign and He is the ultimate source of all power that exist. There are many amazing stories that displays God's power, in the Old Testament, as well in the New Testament. Most of the stories in the New Testament, displays His power through His Son, Jesus Christ.
First there is the virgin birth of Jesus. Jesus turns the water into wine at Cana in Galilee. Jesus healed a royal official's son in Cana. He healed Peter's mother-in-law. In Capernaum, He healed a leper and a paralytic. He healed a crippled man in Jerusalem. In Galilee he restored a withered hand. In Capernaum he healed a Centurion's servant. He raised Jairus' daughter and Lazarus from the dead. He miraculously fed the 5,000 and the 4,000 men and their families. He cast out demons, walk on water, cleansed 10 lepers, healed Bartimaeus of blindness, and so much more. The Bible says, "Jesus' disciples saw him do many other miracles besides the ones told about in this book, but these are recorded so that you will believe that he is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that believing in him you will have life" (John 20:30).
God uses stories to display His glory and His power. Every story was created by God. Just like God used the people in the Bible, we are God's stories and God uses us to display His awesomeness and power. When we give our testimonies of how God brought us over, we are telling our story and giving God the glory. Our story tells people whose we are (children of God), where we have come from (from a sinner to a saint), and who is our God.
"Be still and know that I am God." God is telling us that He controls everything. He is the One we can turn to every time the going gets tough. He is the source of all our strength. He is the One who watches over us. He is the One who takes care of us. He promised to take care of us in life and in death. You must believe this and you can only do it by faith. Through your faith, you can find peace, even in the midst of chaos. Just "be still and know" that all things are possible through Jesus.
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