Be Still: I Am God
Matthew Maher
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 its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah — Psalm 46:1-3
• When everything moves, God remains unmoved.
There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High. God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn. The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved; He uttered His voice, the earth melted. — Psalm 46:4-6
The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah — Psalm 46:7
• Our refuge is not based upon our flawless record, but upon God's faithful character.
Come, behold the works of the Lord, who has made desolations in the earth. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariot in the fire. — Psalm 46:8-9
• Jesus is the Prince of Peace, but He is also the Man of War.
Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! — Psalm 46:10
• Psalm 46:10 is not merely God whispering peace over a quiet prayer room; it is God commanding peace over a raging battlefield.
The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah — Psalm 46:11
Discussion Questions
1. Psalm 46 opens with the declaration that God is "a very present help in trouble" — not a distant or occasional one. When have you experienced God's nearness most clearly in the middle of a difficult or chaotic season? What did that look like?
2. The message makes the point that "our refuge is not based upon our flawless record, but upon God's faithful character." How does that shift the way you think about coming to God when you feel like you've failed or fallen short?
3. Psalm 46:10 — "Be still, and know that I am God" — is described not as a gentle whisper over a quiet prayer room, but as a command over a raging battlefield. How does that reframing change the way you hear or apply that verse in your own life?
4. The sermon holds two truths about Jesus in tension: He is both the Prince of Peace and the Man of War. How do you hold both of those realities together, and which one do you find harder to lean into?
5. The repeated refrain of Psalm 46 is "The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge." What does it mean to you personally that the God who commands armies is also the God who calls Himself your refuge?