How often do you attempt to assert control over your life? I know I do all the time. I believe it’s common for Christians to say, “God is in control” while attempting to affect our own influence on the outcome. Even worse, we sometimes attempt to control God Himself! We become frustrated with a situation and say things like “God should just tell me the answer” or “God should just take care of them.”
There are a lot of things we think God should do. I want you to take a test. Don’t worry, it’s pretty simple. Look at this picture. Does it bother you? If so, ask yourself why.
The internet is full of similar images. A quick search reveals everything from a single floor tile rotated the wrong way to a lone green M&M among a bowl of blue colored ones.
Letting go
Images with imperfections like those can drive us crazy. But the thing is, no matter how hard we try, we can never change them. Let’s take a look at a well-known verse from Psalms.
“Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.” — Psalm 46:10
When we think or say that God should do something, we’re in the wrong. Can the pot tell the potter how to shape it? Paul answers this question in Romans 9:20 & 21: of course not! There are times, whether it’s the green M&M or a life situation, that we simply have to let go of our desire to control.
The Sons of Korah
The Sons of Korah wrote Psalm 46 along with ten other Psalms. Korah himself was one of three leaders who led a rebellion against Moses in the book of Numbers. It was unsuccessful, although nearly 15,000 people died. Korah and his household were among the casualties, although we later learn that:
However, the sons of Korah did not die that day. — Numbers 26:11
Samuel, the prophet who served both Saul and David, came from this lineage. Furthermore, once crowned king, David assigns a musician named Heman to temple service. Heman, too, descended from Korah’s sons.
This is another amazing example of God’s mercy and restoration. Despite Korah’s sin, his eventual grandchildren served God and continue to teach us lessons today!
Psalm 46:10 is one out of eleven verses in this chapter, and I encourage you to take a moment to read the rest of the chapter right now. While verse 10 is our focus, it connects to the rest of the chapter and allows us to pull out three observations.
God is quoted
We believe the Word to be infallible. I once wrote a paper on Virgin Birth and its importance to the rest of the Gospel. The crux of my paper was simple. If we call into question the legitimacy of any scripture and declare it to be wrong, we must then question the rest of the Bible. Divine creation, the resurrection, eternal life — every part of the Bible must be correct for any of it to be correct.
Most translations put quotation marks around this verse. Unlike the rest of this chapter where the temple musicians are talking about God, the three sentences in this verse are attributed to God himself. This is key because God is telling us who He is and what He will do.
When God speaks, we need to listen to what He says. It’s as simple as that!
God gave us two commands
I grew up in the world of MS-DOS. Actually, I cut my teeth on an old Tandy Color Computer 2. It used a programming language called GW-Basic, which taught me the rules of computer logic. 1+1 will always equal 2. While computers may frustrate us, any software bug results from human error — not a breakdown in logic. When we attempt to change those rules, we fail.
While we are error-prone, God is not. He is reliable. Therefore, because Psalm 46:10 quotes our Heavenly Father directly, we can trust that those commands are error-free.
Be still
The first command, be still, sounds as if we need to stop moving. However, the original Hebrew word actually means to be humble or low. To stop is a part of it, yes, but here God is telling us that we are below Him.
Know
The second command is to know. The Old Testament used this word 947 times. A quick word study reveals the definition. In effect, to yada’ (know) something is to intimately and intrinsically understand. It’s an understanding beyond a shadow of a doubt.
Together, these commands reiterate God’s supremacy over everything. To restate these commands would be something like, “Stop doing what you’re doing. I am God!You are not. Don’t forget that!“
God is above all
God said twice in Psalm 46:10 that He will be honored above all things. Korah and the other men in his rebellion tried to control God’s plan for Israel. Did this honor God? Of course not. He reiterated His authority during Korah’s rebellion and Psalm 46. The Sons of Korah, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, outline several different ways God is above all.
- Verse 1: He’s our help
- Verses 2 through 4: He rules over the elements
- Verse 5: He protects us
- Verses 6, 7, & 11: God rules over all kingdoms
- Verses 8 & 9: He brings destruction to the wicked
God Should…
Sometimes, we have to get back to the basics. Life frustrates us or we disagree with the outcome. In our human frailty, we attempt to fix the situation and forget this simple truth.
God should be is in control!
Is there anything in your life you would like me to pray about with you? Is there a situation you’re trying to control and need help to release to God? Send me an email, Jeremiah@JeremiahJWright.com and I’ll add it to my prayer list!