A few days ago my wife and I were taking a Sabbath walk, and I asked her to pray about what I should have for this message. Immediately she answered, “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). That happened so fast I thought it must be from God so here we go!

Instead of “be still” the New American Standard Bible reads “Cease striving and know that I am God.” This is closer to the original Hebrew which means “to stop striving, to let go, to surrender.” The Sabbath is a great time to let go of all our worries, anxieties, cares and struggles, and know that God is God. This verse also reminds us of Jesus’ command, “Peace be still” to the stormy sea of Galilee. Perhaps we could recite that command to our minds when they want to keep going and going on this Sabbath.

My next thought was from last Friday’s message where David Wargo wrote, “Remember this: God is big enough to take care of you, your problems, and the world’s problems while you rest on this day.” The “world’s problems” include the tension in the Straits of Hormuz where tankers have been attacked, a drone is down, and fingers are all pointing to Iran as the attacker. Can we really “be still” and leave all that behind on this Sabbath? Yes we can, because we know that God is in control!

So there you have it. Be still this Sabbath, and drop all your anxieties and worries and cares for the next 24 hours. As the old Sabbath song says, “Steal away from the week of strife, … steal away from the cares of life—find Jehovah, and rest.”