“Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Peace, be still!’ And the wind ceased and there was a great calm” (Mk 4:39). “Be still, and know that I am God” (Ps 46:10).
It’s hard to be still in a world like this. The wicked, we are told, “are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest” (Isa 57:20). J.R. Miller tells the following: “Once I went to visit a friend who lay with a broken arm. ‘Does it hurt you very badly?’ I asked. ‘Not when I keep it still!’ was the answer. This is the secret of much of the victoriousness we see in rejoicing Christians. They conquer the pain and the bitterness by keeping still. They do not question, or demand to know, why they have trials. They believe in God and are so sure of His love and wisdom that they are pained by no doubt, no fear, no uncertainty. Peace is their pillow, because they have learned to just be still. Their quietness robs trial of its sharpness, sorrow of its bitterness, death of its sting, and the grave of its victory.” At least Jesus does!