Be Still and Know that I Am God

The title of the Come, Follow Me lesson comes from this verse in section 101 of the Doctrine and Covenants: “Therefore, let your hearts be comforted concerning Zion; for all flesh is in mine hands; be still and know that I am God” (v16). The Lord was speaking in response to the very difficult situation the Saints in Missouri were in as they were driven out of their homes in Jackson County. He was likely quoting the psalmist who similarly said, “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth” (Psalm 46:10). The words also remind us of the scene from His mortal ministry when He was on a boat with the apostles in a terrible storm. He was asleep and they woke Him up saying, “Master, carest thou not that we perish?” The account relates, “And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm” (Mark 4:38-39). Just as He said to the storm, He says to us in our times of trouble and agitation: “Peace, be still.” His piercing questions to the apostles at this moment are ones that we should take to heart and consider when we are afraid and worried and stressed: “Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?” This is similar to what He said to Peter when the apostle jumped in the water to go to the Savior who was walking towards them: “And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?” (Matthew 14:29-31). “Why are ye so fearful?” “How is it that ye have no faith?” “Wherefore didst thou doubt?” When we lack faith and courage, we should consider these questions carefully and think upon His powerful invitation: “Be still and know that I am God.”

               I think there is a connection between this verse and the parable the Savior recounted a little later in Doctrine and Covenants 101. The Lord told about a nobleman who sent servants to watch over a piece of land and do certain things. The account reads, “Now, the servants of the nobleman went and did as their lord commanded them, and planted the olive trees, and built a hedge round about, and set watchmen, and began to build a tower” (v46). At first they were obedient, but then, like Peter on the water, they hesitated: “And while they were yet laying the foundation thereof, they began to say among themselves: And what need hath my lord of this tower? And consulted for a long time, saying among themselves: What need hath my lord of this tower, seeing this is a time of peace?” (v46-47) I was struck today by this phrase “they consulted for a long time”—these servants knew the will of their master, and yet they spent a long time trying to decide if what he had commanded was the right thing to do. Eventually they were able to talk themselves out of it, and they failed to build the tower: “They became very slothful, and they hearkened not unto the commandments of their lord” (v50). Instead of being still and trusting in the instructions of the nobleman, they allowed their doubts and reason to overwhelm their willingness to be obedient, and they made a grave mistake. Soon thereafter the enemies came and overtook the vineyard, and because there was no tower with a watchman to alert them, much was destroyed. I think there is a warning in this for us: when we understand the will of the Lord but hesitate to do it, with enough consultation and consideration we will certainly be able to reason ourselves out of doing what He has asked. Instead of consulting a long time on things we already have an answer to, we should “be still and know that [He] is God.” We should trust that there is great purpose in His commands even when we cannot see it at first.