Be still, and know that He is God

Psalm 46:10a: Be still, and know that I am God.

We are living in a time with many 'suddenlies', the end-time. With natural disasters one after another on one side, and political unrests in other parts of the world, we can only look to YHWH, the possessor of heaven and earth, and nowhere else.

Psalm 46:1-3 says, 'God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though it's waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling'.

But in spite of all the troubles we see in this end-time, Psalm 46 continues by giving us a real hope and answer. It says in Psalm 46:4: 'There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High'. This is a 'picture' of our 'Yeru-shalayim', which means 'a place founded in shalom peace, and flowing with river of waters' in Hebrew. See also Psalm 91:1-2. The one who dwells in the 'secret place' of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Yeshua (YHWH saves) is your Prince of Peace, your refuge & your fortress; and 'the river of waters' here is always a 'picture' of His Spirit. Psalm 46 then ends with this assurance: 'Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge' (Psalm 46:10-11).

People of God, there's great hope in spite of what you hear in the media. The time has also come when 'the gospel (good news) of Jesus Christ is preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations' (Matthew 24:14), because only in Him is 'the way, the truth, and the life' (John 14:6), and only in Him can one find true rest and peace (Matthew 11:28-30).

And in a world of many 'suddenlies' nowadays, one tends to be anxious and uncertain with too many cares, worries, and concerns. But as a believer, Matthew 6:33-34 says it aptly, 'But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore, do not worry...'

As you cast your cares (worries & concerns) to the Lord (see 1 Peter 5:7), you are like a soccer player passing the 'ball' to your team mate, your 'big brother' Jesus. Every player knows he is not to keep the 'ball' at  his feet too long (even if he may have the best of skills), lest he'll be 'swarmed', 'cornered', and 'surrounded' by more and more opponent players! Pass it to Jesus! The opponent players here are an 'illustration' of the 'devil' who'll find every chance to 'devour' you (when the 'ball' is still at your feet). The devil will 'press you' & 'stress you'. But when the 'ball' is passed to Jesus, the devil cannot stand against Him. And that's how you become 'un-devour-able' (1 Peter 5:8) & 'un-drown-able' in this end-time. Hallelujah!

Beloved, in times like this, cast your every 'worry', 'care', 'anxiety', and 'concern' to Jesus, and be still (be at rest), knowing that He is still God. In Him, you find refuge & strength, and in Him, you receive your rest & peace (Matthew 11:28-30). 

And finally, rest assured that He, the Lord of hosts, IS (present tense) always with you (Psalm 46:11). Amen!

Casting all your care upon Him

1 Peter 5:7: Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. 

According to Webster's dictionary, 'to cast' means 'to throw'. So, whatever 'care' you face now, or whatever the devil 'throws' at you, 'cast all these upon Jesus', for He loves you and cares for you.

You may ask, "Just how much does God care for me?"

Matthew 10:30 says 'but the very hairs of your head are all numbered'. You know what? God cares for you so much and in such great detail, even the very number of your hair is counted! And as much as I love & care for my daughter Sophia (& hugging her, kissing her, smelling her hair, playing with her hair, etc), I've never thought of 'counting' the number of her hair! But God makes it a point to do so! In fact, He knows every 'minute' detail of every strand of her hair, precisely! That's how much He cares. And what more with any other areas of your life?

In Luke 10:30-35, Jesus shared a story of a good Samaritan on how much God cares. Here was a man who came down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and 'fell among the thieves'. He was robbed, stripped, wounded, and left half-dead (Luke 10:30). No one was willing to help; not even a priest or a Levite who passed by. But a certain Samaritan man then saw him and had compassion (Luke 10:33). So, he bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him (Luke 10:34). Then, on the next day, he gave two denarii (two days' wages) and gave them to the innkeeper, and told him to take care of him till he's back (Luke 10:35).

Let me explain the meaning of all these.

The 'Samaritan' here is a 'picture' of Jesus Himself. Just as a Samaritan was despised and rejected by the Jews, Jesus was rejected by His own too! And 'Jerusalem' here is a 'picture' of 'a mountain' (in fact, in Hebrew, 'Yeru-sha-la-yim' means 'a city founded peaceful, flowing as waters', on a mountain, i.e. Mount Zion), while 'Jericho' is a 'picture' of 'a valley' (in fact, Jericho is near Dead Sea, the lowest point anywhere on earth at 1,300 feet below sea level). Whether you are at the 'mountain' or at the 'valley' of your life, God still cares for you (Psalm 23:4).

And even when you are 'down' (spiritually, emotionally, physically, etc) in your 'valley', He cares to 'bandage your wounds', pour His Spirit (i.e. 'oil'), and His joy (i.e. 'wine') on you. 'Oil' here is a 'picture' of the Holy Spirit, and 'wine' has to do with 'joy or celebration'. The Bible says He turns your mourning into dancing, sorrows into joy! Also, instead of you suffering, He suffered on the cross for you (Isaiah 53:3-6). That's what 'he set him on his own animal' means. Not only that, He brings you into a place of 'safety' (Psalm 91:1-2). Notice 'inn' here is a 'picture' of safety (thieves those days only 'attack' at the streets, but not in an 'inn'), and 'innkeeper' here is a 'picture' of angels. He gives His angels charge over you to keep you in all your ways (Psalm 91:10-12), so no evil shall befall you!

Because He cares for you so much, He’s willing to take all your cares upon Himself, big or small. There's really nothing too big or nothing too small (or trivial) for Him to handle.

Will you allow Him to ‘take over’ all those 'cares' of yours? Maybe you are facing a 'challenging' time at the moment. Or maybe it's an 'anxiety' or 'worry' over a business, career, or ministry decision. Whatever it may be, cast this care upon Jesus. 'To cast your care upon Him' is not 'being irresponsible', or 'running away from responsibilities'. After you've done 'your part', leave the rest to Him and let Him do His part. Cast it to Him & see His 'hand' take over. He'll always be, because the Bible says He is your 'ever present help' (Psalm 46:1). Amen!

Receive His shalom peace!

John 14:27(NKJV): “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you, not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid”.

Notice the words ‘leave’ and ‘give’ here. Just as a good parent leaves inheritance for his/her children, Jesus says this to you, “Peace I leave with you”, and “My peace I give to you”. And when there’s this word ‘give’, there’ll be someone who would ‘receive’. People of God, receive His peace. And this peace is not as the world gives, but the ‘shalom’ peace that only Jesus can give. 

So, no matter what ‘storm’ you may be facing at the moment, know that the “I AM WHO I AM”, the ever-present God (YHWH) is in you, and everything’s going to be alright! Receive His peace (that surpasses all understanding) for your family, your ministry, your business, your career, or in any other area of your life. Remember Mark 4:37-39? There was a great storm surrounding the boat, but when Jesus, the Prince of Peace, arose and said “Peace, be still!”, the storm ceased, and all was calm again. Today, as a believer, this same Prince of Peace is in you right now, and when He is in you, again I say, "Everything's going to be alright!" He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8).

Now let’s look at King Solomon in 1 Kings 5:3-5.

1 Kings 5:3: “You know how my father David could not build a house for the name of the Lord his God because of the wars which were fought against him on every side, until the Lord put his foes under the soles of his feet”.

1 Kings 5:4: “But now the Lord my God has given me rest on every side; there is neither adversary nor evil occurrence”.

1 Kings 5:5a: “And behold, I propose to build a house for the name of the Lord my God, as the Lord spoke to my father David”.

The Bible says Solomon had ‘peace’ on every side all around him (1 Kings 4:24). You see, David can’t ‘build’ God's house because he was a man of war, and was always fighting against the foes. But in peace and rest, Solomon could! 'Building a house for the name of the Lord' was definitely one of Solomon’s calling in his life, and the Bible says God gave him great wisdom to accomplish this ‘project’! (1 Kings 5:12)

In fact, the name ‘Solomon’ is ‘shlomoh’ in Hebrew, which means ‘peaceful’. And this word ‘shlomoh’ comes from the root word ‘shalom’, which means ‘peace, prosperity, health, rest, safe, wellness, wholeness’. In 1 Kings 5:3, notice that what David has done for Solomon is a ‘picture’ of what Jesus has done for you on the cross some 2,000 years ago! And just as David has fought all the battles so Solomon could 'build' God’s house in rest & peace, Jesus has also ‘fought all the battles’ for you on the cross, so now you have rest & peace to ‘build’ what God has called you to 'build'!

Let me reiterate this again: Because of what Jesus has done for you on the cross (His blood was shed for you, and His body was wounded for you), you can now receive His peace & you can now have rest in Him. The cross has made all the difference, and therefore, you’ll also be able to ‘build’ what God wants you to ‘build’ in your life! Hallelujah!

So, people of God, despite whatever 'storm' around you at the moment, or whatever 'bad news' you may have heard in recent days, this is the time to receive His shalom peace! Jesus says, "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you". Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid. The devil may try to get you out of this place of 'peace & rest' so that you can’t ‘build’ what God wants you to 'build', but never allow him! Continue to stay in this place of ‘rest’! Continue to stay in this place of ‘shalom’ peace! And this can only be found in Christ Jesus, not as the world gives. Stop your striving, stop your worrying, and be at rest, be still and know that He is God, the Prince of Peace who is in you!