“Be still and know that I am God” Psalm 46:10 (NLT)
“Be still” is also translated as “That’s enough!” in the Common English Bible (CEB), “Stop fighting!” in the Christian Standard Bible (CSB), “Cease striving” in the New American Standard Bible (NASB), and “Are you done?” by any parent face-to-face with a tantrum-prone child mid-tantrum.
Horses can earn a reputation for having “more whoa than go” or vice-versa by their preference to either keep still (requiring an incentive to move) or to keep on the move (necessitating a reason to stand still). These tendencies may also be described as “less forward” or “more forward”.
In either scenario, you need to gain the horse’s trust and respect, starting with getting their attention, so they know that you’re in charge of their movement.
Accomplishing this goal can be as simple as a few minutes of groundwork (handling the horse while on the ground rather than up in the saddle) until the horse turns and faces you straight on and gives you two eyes. (If you’ve never tried this, it can take longer than you might expect.)
When a horse looks at you with two eyes, it indicates you’ve earned their full attention. This may seem like a simple expectation, but as body language experts, horses only give two eyes to things that matter for their safety and well-being. This is the horse/human version of Psalm 46:10, although you’re not God and the horse isn’t a human.
In today’s world, most of us live lives that resemble the “more forward” horse. We have packed schedules at work, at home, for the kids, with hobbies, at the barn, and at church. I’m exhausted just writing this list. And we need to guard against falling prey to well-curated social media posts that add fuel to the preexisting wildfire that used to be called “keeping up with the Joneses”.
In Psalm 46:10, the writer conveys God’s heart for us: “Be still and know that I am God.” God tells us to just stop, turn to face Him, give Him two eyes, and recognize that He’s in charge. God’s got you. Just stop fighting. That’s enough. Cease striving. Are you done?
Whoa.
Consider This
In what areas of your life do you need to just say, "Whoa"? What would that look like in your daily life? What does is take for you to be still?
Prayer
Lord, what a blessing to realize that You call me to be still and acknowledge Your Presence in my life. Help me to remember that I’m not a human doing, I’m a human being! Being in Your Presence instills in me all the things I truly need. Thank you for your perfect peace. In Jesus’ name, Amen.