In life, you must be still, you must sit still, and you must stand still, in times of agitation, uncertainty, and adversity.

Be still – Ps 46:10; to be still is to be quiet, calm, not agitated. 

In life, trouble will come, and your world will be turned upside down.  In Ps 46:2-3, the earth will be removed, the mountains carried into the midst of the sea, the waters troubled, and the mountains shaken.  The heathen will rage and their kingdoms will be moved, v.6.  The Lord will make the earth desolate and yet he’ll make wars to cease, v.8-9.  All this is coming.

The city of God, on the other hand, won’t be moved, v.4-5.  God is in the midst of her.  No matter what is shaking down here, nothing is shaking up there where he is.  The Lord will be exalted in the earth, among the heathen, v.10.  He is coming out on top.

Therefore, in the midst of such chaos, you must know the Lord is with you, v.7.  You must remember that God is your refuge and strength; that he is a very present help in trouble, v.1.  And to do this, you must “be still, and know that I am God”.  When every thing else in your life is shaking, you must be still.

In Ps 4:1-4, you must be still in distress; the Lord will hear, v.3.  This is the only way you’ll be able to lay down in peace and sleep, v.8.  When the storm is raging, you need Jesus to calm the storm, Mk 4:39.  After Jesus rebuked the wind, there was a great calm.  That’s when the disciples began to realize that he is God.

He is God and nothing shall be impossible to him.  Nothing is too hard for him.  Everything will work out according to his plan.  But you have to be still to know him.

Sit Still – Ruth 3:18.  At this point in Ruth’s life, it was evident that Boaz would redeem Naomi’s land and marry Ruth. Yet, there was the matter of offering the first option to a nearer kinsman.  What if Ruth didn’t want to marry this man; she didn’t even know who he was.  During this period of uncertainty, Naomi told Ruth to sit still.     Apparently, Naomi had learned this lesson after her husband had run from the famine.  He should have sat still. 

You will face periods of uncertainty in your life.  You’re going to want the matter to turn out a certain way.  But you must give God the opportunity to bring his own will to pass.  And the way to do this is to sit still until God works it out.  Still is motionless.  Wait.

In Is 30:7, Israel turned to Egypt for help to face their enemies.  They turned to another nation instead of to God.  They turned to the wrong place for help when they needed to sit still and trust God, instead.  

When you are a period of uncertainty or you’re facing a difficult trial, you need to quit trying to figure it out or solve the problem yourself.  You need to quit running around pushing all sorts of buttons, and making all kinds of calls.  Settle down.  Give God a time to work, reveal his will, and sort it out.  Keep your hands off so God can work out the matter his way.

Stand still – Ex 14:13.  When the Jews left Egypt, they weren’t done with their enemies.  Pharaoh came against them with an army and with chariots.  There was no way these defenseless Jews could withstand their attack.  

Yet, the Lord told Moses to fear not and stand still.  God was fixing to step in and deliver them.  And then God miraculously parted the Red Sea so the Jews could pass over on dry ground.  When the Egyptians followed they were all drowned.  Wow.

In 2 Chr 20:17, when Jehoshaphat and Judah were attacked by the Moabites, the Ammonites, and the children of Seir, there was no way Jehoshaphat could figure out how to defend themselves.  When he prayed, God told him to stand still and fear not.  Then the Lord turned these enemies against each other and they destroyed themselves.

Standing still in the face of adversity during a major attack can be one of the most difficult things you can do.  Every instinct is to run.  But Eph 6:10-18 tells us to stand and withstand.  Don’t give ground.  Don’t run.  Don’t run away.  But let God do the fighting.  He knows just how to handle the enemy.  

If you run, you won’t be there to see the victory and the works of the Lord.  You and your children need to see God come through in an unmistakable way.  And the only way to do this is to stand still and watch God win.

Conclusion: Be still in anxiety, sit still in uncertainty, and stand still in adversity.