2nd October 2025

Be Still Before God

Be still, and know that I am God.    

Psalm 46

Today's Bible Reading: Psalm 46.

The first photograph of a living person was taken by Louis Daguerre in 1838. The photo depicts a figure on an otherwise empty avenue in Paris in the middle of an afternoon. But there’s an apparent mystery about it; the street and pavements should have been bustling with the traffic of carriages and pedestrians at that time of day, yet none can be seen.

The man was not alone. People and horses were there on the busy Boulevard du Temple, the popular area where the photo was taken. They just did not show up in the picture. The exposure time to process the photograph (known as a Daguerreotype) took seven minutes to capture an image, which had to be motionless during that time. It appears that the man on the pavement was the only person photographed because he was the only one standing still. By-the-way, the man was having his boots shined.

Sometimes, stillness accomplishes what motion and effort cannot. God tells His people in Psalm 46:10, “Be still and know that I am God.” Even when nations are “enraged” (v 6) and “the earth” shaken (v 2), those who quietly trust in Him will discover in Him “a very present help in times of trouble” (v 1).

When we rest in God instead of relying on our limited efforts, we discover Him to be our unassailable “refuge and strength” (v 1).

Prayer: Heavenly Father, please help me to trust in You and to rest in the quiet awareness of Your unfailing love. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.