At the end of last year, I planned a trip to a shopping outlet near Cheshire with several fellow pastors. That morning, after dropping my children off at school, I drove toward the destination. However, my car’s navigation kept making me confused. It repeatedly instructed me to avoid major roads, and even before reaching the Mancunian Way overpass, it directed me onto a side road. Although I found it strange, I chose to trust the navigation, thinking that there might be some incidents ahead, and continued to follow its guidance.
I had been to this outlet before and knew that I should simply follow the motorway towards Warrington to reach my destination. However, after leaving Manchester, the navigation once again led me onto a small road. Although I felt something was off, I was worried about being late, so I decided to keep going. As the scenery outside became more expansive, with farmlands gradually replacing urban streets, the estimated arrival time on the GPS kept exceeding my original calculations, then I finally admitted that something was amiss. I stopped to check the navigation settings and discovered that I had accidentally set it to “avoid highways.” At that moment, I quickly adjusted the settings, re-mapped the route, and took the nearest exit back onto the motorway. In the end, I still managed to arrive on time. Looking back, I reflected—if I had paused to check earlier, I wouldn’t have wasted so much time taking unnecessary detours.
This experience reminded me of Psalm 46:10:
“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Many people misunderstand the meaning of “be still,” assuming it refers to relaxation or taking a break. However, its true meaning is to “stop” or to “let go”.
Psalm 46:1-6 presents two chaotic scenes:
- Verses 2-3: Chaos of nature—roaring waters and turbulent waves.
- Verses 4-6: Political turmoil — nations in uproar and kingdoms falling.
These two images symbolize a world collapsing in times of trouble. When people are anxious and uncertain, the psalmist makes two crucial appeals in verses 8-10:
- Come and see the works of the Lord – pay attention to God’s sovereignty and trust in His guidance (v.8-9).
- Be still and know that He is God – this means to let go of our own plans and stop relying solely on our calculations and efforts (v.10).
This reminds me of my experience—despite noticing issues with the navigation, I was reluctant to stop and check, fearing I would waste time. Instead, I stubbornly pressed on until I had no choice but to admit I was lost. Similarly, in our daily lives and ministry, have we also ever struggled in the same way? When challenges arise, do we insist on relying on our own calculations and push forward blindly, rather than pausing to look up to God’s work?
This year’s theme for our church is “Return to Sanctuary” Have you been able to live this out in the past three months? Psalm 46 repeats this phrase twice: “The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress!” What truly allows us to experience “Zero Chaos, Spiritual Growth” is not how much control we can muster, but our awareness that the Lord is with us and our willingness to pause before Him and seek His direction. May we encourage one another to commit to learning this lesson in the next eight months—experiencing God’s presence and guidance together!
Pastor Benjamin Cho