5 Ways to Surrender to “Be Still and Know That I Am God”

Psalm 46:10 is one of the most popular Bible verses, especially in times of sorrow, heartache, and tribulation. This is because God works behind the scenes of our everyday lives and has a plan for us.

“Be still and know that I am God” is like God saying “relax, I got this” to us. We struggle with this because we think we have the power to change things out of our control. The Bible makes it clear that we can’t and it’s God’s work.

The Bible directs us to be “still and silent” so we can hear God’s voice and sit in His presence. We need to take the time to slow down and truly connect with God. When we are “still”, amazing things can happen, and we get to see God move mountains.

What Does “Be Still and Know That I am God” Mean?

The Bible verse, Psalm 46:10 is a direct command from the Lord. He wants us to put down our walls, surrender to Him, and sit still in His presence. He wants us to stop directly trying to deal with things that aren’t in our control but are in His control.

He wants to fight for us, and we need to surrender to “be still and know that I am God” to embrace His presence and to stand in awe of His mighty power. God wants us to stand in awe of Him and seek Him. We need to let go and lay down our worries, troubles, and anxieties.

When we sit still in His presence and give our attention to Him, we are showing Him that we trust Him. Being still is a way for us to show we have faith in a sovereign and faithful God who we know won’t fail us.

There are many Bible verses that tell us how mighty God’s power is and how with Him we can overcome what we are facing. Psalm 46:1 says:

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”

It’s so beautiful that when we are facing troubles, God just asks that we seek Him and be still, knowing that He has it all under control. He is our strength, comfort, refuge, and our hope.

It’s a fact of life that people come and go in our lives for better or for worse. But God stays, He remains, and He is always near us. He is right there, ever present when are in need of Him.

All of Psalms 46 talks about proclaiming God as our refuge and that He is our strength. He is a good good father who just wants us to sit in with Him while He comforts us. Nothing can comfort as Jesus can.

There is power in His Word and His almighty power over everything. As we dig into the books of the Bible and let the Holy Spirit guide us through it, we can feel His presence. Spending time with Him and His Word comforts us and allows us to take a moment to be still.

This reminds us of His immediate help and His abundance. Before we do anything, we need to seek Him first and His presence and sit still and let Him wash away all of our fears and worry.

He not only comforts us but He is our safe place. He can bring us peace and joy in ways we don’t comprehend. He is our very protection and it’s amazing to think about how we can fully rely on His strength.

Where Does the Bible Say “Be Still and Know that I Am God?”

Most of us have probably heard this phrase many times throughout our Christian lives during Bible study, through memorizing scripture and going to Church. There are quite a few verses in the Bible that talk about being still in His presence.

Psalm 46:10 is the verse that says “Be Still and Know That I Am God.” All of Psalm 46 tells us that He is an almighty fortress and He has sovereignty over nature, over life, over everything.

Other Bible verses that talk about “being still” are:

• Exodus 14:14
• Ruth 3:18
• 2 Kings 2:3,5
• Nehemiah 8:11
• Psalm 4:4
• Psalm 37:7
• Psalm 83:1
• Psalm 107:29
• Jeremiah 47:6
• Zechariah 2:12, 13
• Mark 4:39

Being silent and sitting still in the presence of the Lord is the action behind our faith. When we trust in the Lord we can fully stay still in His presence and move out of the way for His will to be done.

Psalm 46:10 isn’t just an encouraging verse in times of worry and frustration, but it’s exactly what the triune God wants us to do. He didn’t create us to do it alone, to try to face things without Him, because He knows that we don’t have the power to do that.

There is nothing more loving than our Heavenly Father wanting us to sit with Him and protect us under His wing, to shelter us.

There are also many scriptures that say “You will know that I am God” among the verses about being still. Here are the references for those verses:

• Exodus 6:7
• Exodus 7:5
• Exodus 7:17
• Exodus 14:4
• Exodus 10:2
• Exodus 14:18
• Judges 6:17
• Isaiah 5:16
• Ezekiel 11:12

It’s clear to say that there are many declarations of God wanting us to know that He is God and we just need to be still in His presence.

Ways to Be Still and Surrender to God

As Christians, we need to surrender our will, for His perfect will for us, and follow Him. We can do this by letting go and letting God plan our future, letting go of any worry, letting go of control, and surrendering every aspect of our lives to the Lord.

We need to fully surrender our finances, relationships, and anything that we place before God in our lives. He wants us to go to Him first. We have the choice to seek Him daily, moment by moment, and breath by breath.

We were created by the Lord and specifically designed to have a personal and intimate relationship with Him. This means we need to fully surrender to Him, obey Him and His Word, yield our lives to Him (having faith and trust), and know that all things are possible with Him.

Not just on Sundays, not just in our minds, but with everything and with our whole entire hearts by surrendering our life to Him daily.

Here are some ways to be still and know that He is God.

1. By Knowing God

We must acknowledge that God is our creator, the one who created the Heavens, the Earth, everything around us, and ourselves right down to the little details in our DNA. Having a relationship with Him is the ultimate first step for us to fully surrender to Him.

He created us to have a personal relationship with Him so we can get to know who He is. He wants to get to know us even more.

2. Through Prayer

Prayer is very important for us Christians and sometimes it gets left on the backburner from the never-ending list of to-dos. Prayer doesn’t have to be complicated and over the top. Prayer is what connects us with God and it’s about having a conversation with Him anytime and anywhere.

It is a divine moment where we can feel the Holy Spirit move and God’s presence when we open up ourselves in prayer. God wants to hear our voices. He knows everything we are facing and how we feel. Prayer allows us to let go of our feelings and give them to God.

It allows us to also let go and let God intervene. It shows Him that we want to have a relationship with Him and to talk with Him. Prayer is powerful and we should be praying daily.

3. Through Worship

God created us for worship as it’s another way for us to be able to sit in His presence and praise Him for what He has done and is doing in our lives. Worship is what also connects us and helps us draw closer to God.

Worship doesn’t have to just be in church. We can worship throughout our days whether it’s singing out loud or seeking His presence throughout the mundane tasks in our home. Take the time to seek Him, in the little pockets of your day, and watch how He moves.

4. Through Our Mind

Our mind can hold a lot, a variety of thoughts both negative and positive. The Bible tells us to take our thoughts captive and renew our minds with God’s Word. We are called to sit still in His presence.

The devil wants us to sit in piles of negative thoughts and overthink every little thing. When we pray and worship we can fully let go of those negative things that fill our minds. We need to fill our minds with God’s presence, and His comfort and spend time studying the Bible to let the Truth stick in our minds on a daily basis.

Spending time in the Bible, studying it, reading it daily, and memorizing scripture can help us replace good thoughts with bad ones. As humans, it can be pretty easy to want to stay stuck in the fear of the unknown, the thoughts of not being good enough, and the worry of tomorrow.

Thankfully, we have the Word of God to help us face that and to use it as a defense against the works of the devil.

5. In Everything

We cannot truly surrender everything and sit still in the presence of the Lord if we don’t do it with true intention and our whole heart. We must lay down it all and put it at His feet. To lay down any idols we have like worries and fear (the list can go on), and give them to God.

Surrender all that you have and seek the kingdom of God first. Surrendering helps us grow spiritually and step out in faith and ultimately helps us act upon what the Holy Spirit guides us to do. Surrender your will, for His will, and give Him the glory.

When we fully surrender with our whole hearts, God can multiply our blessings. In most cases, the very thing that is holding us back is surrendering everything to God.

Our flesh will hold us back and our sins will bring us to death. But the Lord wanted redemption for us so He sent His Son Jesus to die for our sins. The blood of Jesus is so powerful that it cleanses us from our sins which allows us to receive salvation.

Surrendering it all is letting go of control, and giving it back to Him. God will start to move more in your life through your surrender, your faith, and your trust in Him.

Prayer to Be Still and Know That God Is In Control

Dear Lord, I thank you that you gave your one and only son to die on the cross for my sins. I know that you are in control of my life and your will is perfect for me. You have created me for a purpose and all that I have comes from you. I pray that you give me the strength to not allow my emotions to lead or guide me. May I always seek you and your kingdom first above all else. Lord, I need you to continue guiding me and to work in my life. I fully surrender all that I am. I pray that the Holy Spirit will give me wisdom in the areas of my life where I need to let go of my control. Lord, I trust you, and I want you to lead me for you are far greater than he who is living in this world. In all that I do today and every day, help me see you in all of it, and to direct me to surrender any idols that I have in my life. In Jesus’ name, amen.