Read: Psalm 46

Be still. That sounds so easy, but when things are hard for you, is it easy to be still? If a loved one is sick or if you have a test that you are worried about or if you hear about a worldwide virus, can you just be still? Can you not worry?

In this psalm, the Lord told his covenant children in the Old Testament that they didn’t need to fear things because he was their help in trouble. Jerusalem didn’t even have a river running through it, but only a very small stream. And yet verse 4 speaks about a river. This river talks about God’s goodness and provision for his people. The Lord will provide everything that his people need. Not just a little of what they need like a small stream, but everything that they need, like a large river.  And so, the Israelites didn’t need to be afraid. They could be still, knowing that God was their help and shelter.

The Lord gives this psalm for us as well. We also can be still in God. This doesn’t mean that difficult things will never come our way. Satan is still trying very hard to attack God’s people. He tries every day to make us sin, and so every day we need to fight against sin. And sickness and death and hardships are still in the world today. We can’t escape from these things, and they also happen to us as God’s people.

But we don’t need to fear. We don’t need to be scared in these hard times. Why not? Because God will be with us and help us get through all these hard things. He has promised us that. And God has everything in his plan. If your tooth falls out, or your auntie gets sick, or a virus hits the whole world, it is all planned by God. But God also plans and promises to be with you in these hard things. He will give you the strength you need, so simply be still and trust in the Lord.

Reflection with your child:

How can we ‘be still’ in hard times?