Contemplative Prayer and Psalm 46:10

I was made aware of an article about the true meaning of Psalm 46:10 in an email that I got from Lighthouse Trails. The aritcle can be found right here which was authored by One of the pastors at the Franklin Road Baptist Church in Indianapolis, Indiana. The article references a DVD that advocates contemplative prayer and is being promoted in a Christian magazine. I checked it out and thought it was one of the best writen articles on the subject I have read in a while. I emailed them and asked permission to post it here, and they agreed to my request. Here it is.

BE STILL

Some thoughts on Psalm 46:10 as it relates to comtemplative prayer.

"Be still, and know that I am God . . ." (Ps. 46:10). Those promoting contemplative or "listening" prayer point to this Scripture for endorsement. Generally, contemplatives advocate quiet meditation as a means to experience soul to soul communication with God. Influential Christian leaders now encourage contemplation as a way to obtain "God's guidance in everyday life." At face value, Psalm 46 verse 10 appears to endorse this mystical way to pray.

In the current issue of a major Christian magazine a full page advertisement promotes a soon to be released DVD entitled "Be Still". The DVD case bears the inscription of Psalm 46:10. A blurb on the cover also reads, "In Today's Fast-Paced, Hectic Life, Be Still Is an Important Tool that Keeps You in Touch with Yourself, Your Family and God."

Looking then at the full page advertisement, promotions read: "BE STILL . . . demonstrates how contemplative, or 'listening,' prayer can be be a vital way to find peace in the midst of a frenzied, fast-paced, modern world. BE STILL examines the importance of silence and reflective prayer as a way to receive God's guidance in everyday life. BE STILL . . . features a useful 'how to' section that shows how contemplative prayer can be used to return to a more simple life and reaffirm that which is truly important."[1] As advocated by some of today's most notable Christian communicators, what should Bible believers think about this soon-to-be-released DVD on contemplative prayer?

Bible Interpretation 101 teaches that every text without a context is pretext. Extracting Psalm 46:10 as an endorsement of meditative prayer is just such a pretext. Here's why.

First, the injunction to "Be still" must be understood in the milieu it was uttered. The Psalmist addressed a cosmos in crisis. The crisis imperiled the creation (vv. 1-3); threatened the city (vv. 4-7); and besieged the community (vv. 8-11). In the crisis, the people were afraid (v. 2).

Second, the verb "Be still" (Hebrew, rapah) is used 46 times in the Old Testament with meanings everywhere from describing laziness to ordering relaxation. Though the majority of versions translate the injunction "Be still," other meanings are "Cease striving " (NASB), "Be quiet" (NCV), "Desist" (Young's), or "Calm down" (CEV). In no biblical usage or context does the Hebrew verb enjoin God's people to meditate or contemplate. Rather, God's people are to rest in him.

Third, the command to "be still" (v. 10) is specifically addressed to the survivors of a war torn nation, people that on all sides continued to feel threatened. To those scared to death by what was going on all around them (v. 2), the sovereign Lord encourages them to stop their trembling. As one commentator observed, "In this explosive context, 'be still' is not an invitation to tranquil meditation but a command to allow God to be God, to do his work of abolishing the weapons of war."[2]

And finally, in the third section the Psalmist looks forward to a new order when God will impose his peace plan upon the world (see Is. 2:4). As he will have ended conflicts and destroyed the weapons of war (vv. 8-9), the Lord affirms that in the future kingdom age he "will be exalted among the nations" (v. 10). In view of this prospect, the sovereign Lord encourages his covenant people, "Be still, and know that I am God . . .." In the end, the sovereign God will defeat war.

A friend of mine, devoted to the pursuit and practice of alternative spirituality for some of his adult life, related how one New Age class adapted this verse for use. At each session's beginning, participants were told to relax and say to themselves, "Be still and know (pause) . . . I am God." Thus New Age practitioners turned God's word upside down to affirm their own divinity!

To those who use Psalm 46:10 to endorse meditative spirituality, I say "Nice try!" "Be still" is not an invitation to contemplation, but rather calls upon believers to affirm that in a crisis God is in control.

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[1]Advertisement, Christianity Today, April 2006, p.5.

[2]Craig C. Broyles, Psalms (Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., 1999) 210.