“Be still and know that I am God,” ~ Psalm 46:10
Know: be convinced or certain of, have understanding of, perceive directly, have knowledge of.
Still: free from noise or turbulence, devoid of or abstaining from motion.
Last December (I know…a long time ago, but I’m a senior so 😉 ), I felt God reminding me of this verse. I’ve never really fully understood it; I’ve always thought of it as being really serious. But I think that the Holy Spirit revealed to me, at least, part of what it means.
“I am God…”
I am…LOVE: an assurance of affection, unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the 
good of another, warm attachment/enthusiasm/devotion, strong affection for another.
“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us,” ~ Romans 5:8
I am…PEACE: freedom from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions, a state of tranquility or quiet, a state of security.
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid,” ~ John 14:27
I am…GRACE: a special favor, unmerited divine assistance, a state of sanctification 
enjoyed through divine grace.
“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need,” ~ Hebrews 4:16
I am…COMPASSION: sympathetic consciousness of others distress, together with a desire to alleviate it.
“When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things,” ~ Mark 6:34
I am…HOPE: to expect with confidence, trust, to cherish a desire with anticipation.
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope,” Jeremiah 29:11
I wrote out these definitions to remind myself, yes God is holy, but He is also our father…daddy. And sometimes, or most of the time, I forget that and struggle with thinking that God is out to punish me.
1 John 4:18 addresses this. For all my fellow perfectionists out there, this is a good verse to remember 🙂
“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love,” ~ 1 John 4:18
So when God says, “be still and know that I am God,” I do not think He is only referring to the literal meaning. I think this is also referring to being still, resting and soaking in God’s love, grace, and compassion.
God is righteous and holy and omniscient, but He is also our father, dad. And like any good parent, He does not want us to fear Him. We should have a respectful “fear,” of course, in the sense that He is God and it would be foolish and idiotic to mock, test, etc…Him.
With that said, we do not have to fear the Lord. Using the verse again from under the definition of grace, it says:
“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need,” ~ Hebrews 4:16
With confidence. Not terrified or worried about coming to God. He says that we can come to Him with confidence.
Confidence is, “the quality or state of being certain, a communication made in confidence, a relation of trust of intimacy.”
The next time you and I begin to fear punishment from God, I hope we can remember His great love and the invitation to come to Him with confidence.
~ Southern Dreamer
Note: The definitions for love, peace, grace, hope, and compassion along with confidence, came from Merriam-Webster.
Southern Dreamer 