Be still and know

I believe I first heard the Steven Curtis Chapman song "Be Still and Know" on the family cassette tape. The song was from his "Speechless" album (1999) and despite the severe datedness of it, I still find that song, and that whole album, incredibly soothing.

I was probably inspired to become quite close to that line "be still and know that I am God" (from Psalm 46) because of that song.

That mere line of the psalm is just so peaceful, and I've seen numerous inspirational posters of a solitary tree in a snow-covered field with that line in a gentle typeface/font. I'm picky with inspirational posters, but those ones were generally ok for me.

Today I was doing evening Liturgy of the Hours, and came across that verse. I was astonished to see that the mood of the psalm doesn't quite match up to the soft one-line so often quoted.

It's likely that I never actually looked up that entire psalm in its entirety before, and I suppose I have been missing this in the few years I've gotten into Liturgy of the Hours. For some reason I actually paid attention to the tone this time.

Here's what the entire Psalm 46 actually says:

God is for us a refuge and strength,
a helper close at hand, in time of distress,
so we shall not fear though the earth should rock,
though the mountains fall into the depths of the sea;
even though its waters rage and foam,
even though the mountains be shaken by its waves.
The Lord of hosts is with us:
the God of Jacob is our stronghold.
The waters of a river give joy to God's city,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
God is within, it cannot be shaken;
God will help it at the dawning of the day.
Nations are in tumult, kingdoms are shaken:
he lifts his voice, the earth shrinks away.
The Lord of hosts is with us:
the God of Jacob is our stronghold.
Come, consider the works of the Lord,
the redoubtable deeds he has done on the earth.
He puts an end to wars over all the earth;
the bow he breaks, the spear he snaps.
He burns the shields with fire.
"Be still and know that I am God,
supreme among the nations, supreme on the earth!"
The Lord of hosts is with us:
the God of Jacob is our stronghold.

-New American Bible

Yes, there are still aspects of soothing comfort, but overall, what we have here is a triumphant psalm, with God speaking to his people to "be still and know that I am God" because he just won an epic victory.

It changes how I look at that specific verse. But it makes it so much more compelling.

"He's not a tame lion," they say in Narnia. No, he's not tame, but he's good, and he will fight for you.