Sola Sisters: psalm 46:10

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Psalm 46:10 and Hearing God Speak

"Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10

Writes Saddleback Pastor Rick Warren in his Daily Hope blog (1/17/13):

"You say, 'I want to trust God, but I don't hear him.' To hear God, you have to get near God. You don't hear God when your mind is filled with a thousand other distractions. You've got to get alone with God and be quiet. The Bible says, 'Be still and know that I am God' (Psalm 46:10 NIV). That means sit down and shut up. That's how you hear God and get near to God. You have to sit alone and just be quiet with your Bible and say, 'God, is there anything you want to say to me?' You read God’s Word, and you talk to him about what's on your heart. Pray this today: 'God, I want to listen to you, not the voices of doubt. I want to hear you, and I promise to then obey you. I want to be one of the people that you can use and bless in the next 10 years. I want those years to be a decade of destiny for me and my family.'" (source)

Is this true? Do we need to get still and wait for God to "speak" to us, as Pastor Rick Warren teaches? Absolutely not, and Marcia Montenegro of Christian Answers For the New Age has written a great article in response to this now commonplace (but incorrect) teaching in today's church that Psalm 46:10 is about getting still and "hearing" God speak to you. Marcia, a former New Ager/professional astrologer, is now a born again Christian in full-time ministry, and is devoted to exposing how many of the things she once believed as a New Ager (such as the oft-misinterpreted Psalm 46:10) are coming into the church.

From Marcia's article:

"God's word teaches us to think and use our mind. Rational thinking and reason flow from the nature of God. We can be still or quiet, of course, in order to contemplate God and His perfect love, justice, and mercy. We can be still and appreciate His might. But we do not need to numb our brains or create a mystical experience to do so; in fact, these techniques will hinder us from practicing true contemplation."