"Be Still And Know..."

Psalm 46 was an incredible encouragement to me today and completely fits the "dust" that is swirling around my life right now.

¹God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
²Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change
And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea;
³Though its waters roar and foam,
Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. Selah.
⁴There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
The holy dwelling places of the Most High.
⁵God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved;
God will help her when morning dawns.
⁶The nations made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered;
He raised His voice, the earth melted.
⁷The LORD of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.
⁸Come, behold the works of the LORD,
Who has wrought desolations in the earth.
⁹He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth;
He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two;
He burns the chariots with fire.
¹⁰"Cease striving and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."
¹¹The LORD of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.

At first, I was looking for the verse "Be still and know that I am God," and then I looked at the context. I love how this chapter is describing God as our refuge--the world could fall apart, but then God calls me to "cease striving and know that I am God."

Let me explain the situation. In April, I accepted a history teaching position at Inter-City Baptist, my alma mater. At the time, Brad and I stepped out on faith--we had just bought a house in Ortonville so we had to figure out housing and Brad had no job. Since then, God provided a job for Brad, and it seemed like a house in Lincoln Park (we're renting out our house and then renting from my parents). The bank had accepted the offer my parents put forth, but then the house appraised for less than the offer. So my parents adjusted the offer (a whole $3K less than the original offer) and the bank said no. My parents offered $1.5K more, and the bank still said no. So the bank put the house back on the market, and we're left waiting--with about 8-ish weeks before the start of school.

So the past few days, I've been struggling with worry--will we find a renter for our house, but more importantly, will we find a house Downriver before then so we're not homeless? God's provided jobs for both Brad and me, so I know He'll work out housing--but waiting is so hard. Today, I was sitting on my couch watching my sleeping puppies and enjoying the sunshine coming through my living room's bay window, when the verse "Be still and know that I am God" popped into my head. I'm certainly not facing the end of the world, but the worry for my housing is constantly in my mind. I think God placed this chapter on my heart today to remind me of what I already knew--cut out the worry, be faithful to what He has for me today, and let Him work out the details. God will work out a house for Brad and me and a renter for our house up north, so in the meantime, I'll "cease striving and know that [He is] God."