I LOVE the Word of God, but to be honest there are some passages in the Bible that really 'rub me up the wrong way'... perhaps you have the same problem from time to time? One example of this is Psalm 46:10 "Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.'

I am not good at waiting... nor at being still. I am more comfortable when there is something to do... some activity to be engaged in. I like action, progress, planning... I like to be busy. So it is the 'be still' part of this verse that I struggle with, because to be honest, sometimes it seems to me that too many Christians are passively waiting... and don't seem to be willing to roll up their sleeves and get busy doing something. But look again at that verse. It doesn't just say 'be still', it says 'be still and know that I am God'. It encourages us to stop being busy for the sake of being busy... and to take some time to look again at the goal of all our activity, which is not a show or a program... but a person!

The Spanish philosopher George Santayana said this: 'Fanaticism is redoubling your efforts when you have forgotten your aim'. By this definition, perhaps many Christians are fanatics... simply because we have lost sight of our true aim? To 'be still' is not passive or fatalistic. It is to stand and look again at the One who is the aim of our faith... and it is to ponder the powerful reality of the statement that follows... 'I will be exalted among the nations.' Our God WILL be known around the world. Every nation, tribe and tongue will be represented around the throne of God... and it is our privilege to pray, act and be a part of seeing this happen.