“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling … Be still, 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 fortress.” – Psalm 46.
How do you respond when disaster strikes? Is it anything like the writer of this Psalm? It is incumbent for us as Christians to learn how. To do this, we must establish three truths that, I pray, will create a solid foundation for when trials come.
The sovereignty of God
To even begin to grasp the way God works in and through disasters, we must begin with a proper understanding of God’s status, or rank, in creation. Genesis 1:1 tells us, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” There isn’t sufficient space in this article to highlight all of the reasons why the Bible is true, but suffice it to say that it is the most tested, reliable, and trustworthy document in the history of humankind. This verse informs us of two important things: God is the creator of all things and God exists outside of the created order. What these two truths communicate is that God sits over and above all things in existence, for he is their creator and point of origin, and he exists apart from them. This is called his sovereignty. This term is used to describe a static fact about God, namely, that he is presiding over all things as their God. This is an important place to start in this conversation.
Now, how does sovereignty work itself out in the everyday affairs of the world?
The providence of God
If we have the sovereignty of God in place in our minds, the next thing we need to sort out is the way in which this sovereign God actually works and uses that sovereignty in the world he rules. This is what we would call providence. Providence is the act of God exercising his sovereignty in creation. There are many places to see this in the Bible, but one vivid illustration stands out. This example comes to us from the story of Joseph at the end of the book of Genesis. Joseph has an up-and-down life of drama, intrigue, betrayal, failure, and victory. He is sold into slavery by jealous brothers, framed for sexual assault, abandoned in prison, and so on.
But the key to the whole story is found at the end of the last chapter, where Joseph is choosing to show grace to his treacherous brothers, and he says, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today (Gen. 50:20).” Did you catch that? It isn’t that the brothers meant the whole thing for evil and God took it and turned it into a good situation; God actually meant for the difficult situation to happen to set up for a grander and more beautiful outcome to occur. This is the providence of God.
The goodness of God
Finally, we have to establish that God is good. If he is simply sovereign, and if he works out that sovereignty through providence, but he is not good, that is someone to be very frightened of.
But praise be to God that we have the entire Bible to testify to his infinite goodness and love for us. Here is a brief selection.
“The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, ‘The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness …” – Exodus 34:6
“Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!” – Psalm 34:8
“The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.” – Psalm 145:9
“And Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.’” – Mark 10:18
Starting to catch the drift? God is good; he is loving; he is merciful; he is kind. The goodness and loving-kindness of the Lord showed itself most beautifully in the sending of his only Son, Jesus Christ, to live a sinless life and die a death in our place to bring us into right relationship with God through faith. This is the most powerful and clear picture of the goodness of God: his providing a way of being made right with him through the sacrifice of his only Son. So now we have established that God is sovereign, that he works out of his sovereignty through providence, and in all of that is good. What in the world does that have to do with the question posed at the beginning of this article?
Be still and know
To build a life of faith that withstands the storms of life, you must build upon the foundation of a big, powerful, active, and good God. To be able to praise in the midst of turmoil and disaster, when the floods have risen up to the windowsills and destruction surrounds us, you must know, and I mean really know, that God is in control, and that he is good. The most beautiful line of the whole Psalm is found in verse 10, where the Lord speaks through the psalmist and says, “Be still and know that I am God.”
The literal translation of “be still” is cease striving. Stop working. Stop wondering. Stop clamoring for an explanation. Stop asking God “why?” Just stop. Cease your striving.
But that doesn’t mean just stop everything and stare at a wall. He says to be still and know. Be still and know that God is who he says he is; sovereign, active, and good. It is only with these pieces in place that you will be able to withstand the disasters that strike – both physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
It is my prayer that reading this will make a spark of faith that grows into a raging fire that burns hot in the worst of times, leading you to serve your God and your neighbor with all you are.