Speaker: Dr. Harold J. Sala | Series: Guidelines For Living | Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord. The god who answers by fire–he is God.’ Then all the people said, ‘What you say is good. 1 Kings 18:24

When a missionary friend of mine happened to wander into a forbidden area of Myanmar, then known as Burma, he was arrested and accused of being a CIA member or some kind of spy. After he was interrogated almost day and night, he was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of his stay in prison, which was 88 days. After a few days, he was given a Bible and, apart from time to eat, which did not take long‑‑judging from the weight he had lost‑‑he had nothing to do but read the Bible. As he sat in my home after his release and recounted the ordeal, I asked, “What was it that most impressed you about the Bible?” Quickly he replied, “The glory of God!”

Chances are that you will never have 88 days in which there is nothing to do but eat, sleep, and read the Bible. I certainly hope you will not go through what my friend endured; but I am wondering if the rapid pace of our lives keeps us from grasping something of God’s magnitude and greatness which He would like us to experience? I am thinking of the sign in a cafeteria which reads, “Lord bless the instant coffee, the two‑minute oatmeal and the pop‑up waffles. In haste, Amen.”

The Psalmist wrote, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). Be still–stop your running to and fro‑‑slow down enough to hear My voice. And know‑‑learn personally and experientially‑‑that I am God. Again Scripture says, “In quietness and trust is your strength” (Isaiah 30:15). Do you ever ask yourself, “How much would God really like to reveal to me if I only slowed down long enough to hear His voice?”

Tragic, yet true, is the fact that so many of us who call ourselves Christians and name the name of Christ, know so little of the true nature and character of God, our Heavenly Father. We are living in a day of great religious popularity, yet few people know much of the true nature and character of God. Why? How do we account for the fact that many have a rather distorted picture of God? Why do some think of Him as a kind of Cosmic policeman‑‑a Great Watchman‑‑who is ready to get you when you are bad, while others think of Him as an ancient kind of Father Time who has withdrawn from the stage of life?

In some cases we do not have a very clear picture of God because the God talked about in some churches and pulpits is not the God of the Bible. But I think the real answer is that in so many cases our relationship to God is need‑centered, rather than God‑centered. Overwhelmed by our physical needs, all we think of is, “God, I want you to do this. Make this happen, Lord. I want this and I want that, and I want it now.” Our thoughts are centered on our selfish needs rather than upon the true nature and character of God. We come grasping and grabbing as though grace is going out of style, and we had better get it fast before the supply runs out or the price goes up.

“Be still and know that I am God.” Have we been so consumed with our lives, our wants, our needs, our little world, that we have never begun to explore the depths of God’s Word to discover what He is like? Jesus said, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). When you begin to grasp something of His true greatness, you will be amazed at how small your problems are. “Be still and know that I am God,” our Father still instructs.

Resource reading: Psalm 42.