Are we supposed to “let go and let God”?  In a way, yes, to be sure—if the meaning of “letting go” is trusting Him.  But keep the Bible in mind when you answer this question.  The Text does not present a passive lifestyle among the heroes of the Faith. Paul walked all over the Mediterranean world at least three times. Abraham left his father’s country and went to the Land of Promise.  There is no example of couch-potato faith when it comes to Biblical heroism.

Today I want to examine God’s command to “Cease striving.”  My favorite illustration of this command, which we find in Psalm 46, is the least of Jesse’s sons, a nobody with a sling named David.  In 1 Samuel 17 the story plays out that a shepherd with aggressive faith is better in battle than a whole army of professional soldiers who are compromised by fear.  You probably know the story of David and Goliath, and there’s a lot going on in the story.  But I find it particularly helpful to keep in mind David’s state of mind.  He never misses a beat.  Samuel never narrates inner conflict or self-doubt for David.  David does the impossible, for which he has been trained (1 Sam 17:34-36).  David lives-out with purity the solid reliance on the Lord which is the logical consequence of God’s existence as it bears on our peace of mind.  His words and his actions are dead on.  I think that David is a picture of Psalm 46:10.

Psalm 46:10 (NAS)

10         “Cease striving and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

The Command

This command is a terse, one-word sentence in the original Hebrew.   The verb for “cease striving” in the NAS or “be still” in the KJV/NKJV is RAPHAH (רָפַה), which primarily means “let loose.”  Raphah does a lot of things in Biblical Hebrew.  “Loosening the hands” is a Hebrew idiom for a loss of courage.  The LORD will never “fail you nor forsake you” in Deuteronomy 31:6; He will never loosen His protective care such that it fails.  Here is a good example of how words are used in a language.  The word raphah means a loosening in some sense, and the sense intended is clear only from the context in which an author uses it.  Loose hands imply fear in the face of danger, the Creator is not a slacker, and Israel in Isaiah 46:10 is to loosen up.

So how is Israel being encouraged to “loosen” in this one-word command?  They are to relax.  Life is not really designed to be such a nail-biter!  Your doctor will agree that our bodies are not good at handling constant stress.  Yes, some respond to stress better than others; it can help focus our concentration and help us be a little more careful.  But prolonged pressure takes a toll, especially when we don’t properly adjust to it.

Now notice that on the one hand, you can “loosen up” as a result of soul-paralyzing fear—where you drop your spear or shield in the face of the advancing enemy.  Conversely, you can relax inside with the confidence for which you were created and thus function well despite high stakes.  The successful veteran believer knows well the inner calm of reliance on God’s provision as outside pressures mount. And they will mount.

The command to relax in Ps 46:10 is not complete until we have the next word, which is another command.  God commands Israel to know, and we’ll zoom-in on that command tomorrow.

When God “Invalidates” Our Judgment

Invalidation is what you feel when someone plays down your suffering or some other significance which you impute to something.  When you are suffering and someone says “it’s not that bad,” that person has invalidated you.  “You shouldn’t really be that broken up about this” is the idea.  In a way, God is saying that Israel needs to put the stress in perspective.  Don’t take yourself so seriously because there is something far more important than the details of your current suffering.  This is always the case!  God’s greater workings and goals are far weightier than your immediate experience of them as the details play-out.  Now when someone else makes such a judgment about your judgment you have to make a judgment about that.  We always do this, if you think about it.  No one is truly suspending judgment, especially when someone judges us.  Accordingly, when someone invalidates you, it is often the basis for a falling-out with them.  Who are they to instruct your perspective?  However, when God delivers an opinion about your judgment, you can be sure He’s right.  The God of truth knows the right answer.

There are two possible responses to God’s command to “Loosen up.”  You can respond negatively and say, “that’s easy for You to say” or some other variant that amounts to less than trust in our Loving God.  The positive response begins with a recognition that God knows what He’s doing and tells us the truth about it.  All of His character is on display in His works on our behalf.  Remember that if you’re His, He has taken on your well-being as His responsibility.

If you’ll relax under pressure, knowing that God is God, you can slay the giants He places in your path.  And thus you can glorify God in word and deed, just like the shepherd-king, David.

Three Thoughts

1.   Anthropology:  We are designed to perform well in adverse circumstances yet with a relaxed mental attitude.  The solution is rarely the removal of the giant.

2.  Revelation:  The knowledge we have of our Creator is given to us, in part, to stabilize our mental attitude as we live-out His plan.

3.  Ambassadorship:    The Christian life is a life of strength and courage in the face of adversity.  Adverse circumstances are not supposed to shut you down; they’re supposed to expose your character as you calmly trust that God is God.  If you front defeat under pressure, the world sees defeat as the fruit of your relationship with God.  A Christian who isn’t relaxed based on his knowledgeable relationship with God is not communicating the truth about God’s character and strength to others.

Passage to Pray: Psalm 46

Memory Verse:  Ps 46:10-11

““Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold.Selah. ” (Psalm 46:10–11, NAS)