Our Daily Bread -- Unpredictable

August 8, 2015

Read: Psalm 46
Bible in a Year: Psalms 74-76; Romans 9:16-33

Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! —Psalm 46:10

In the 2003 US Women’s Open, the relatively unknown Hilary Lunke secured the greatest prize in women’s golf—and a place in history. Not only did she win the US Open in an 18-hole playoff, but it was also her only professional victory. Her surprising and inspiring win underscores the fact that one of the most exciting things about sports is its unpredictability.

The unpredictability of life is not always so thrilling, however. We devise and strategize. We make plans, projections, and proposals about what we would like to see happen in life, but often they are little more than our best guess. We have no idea what a year, a month, a week, or even a day might bring. So we pray and plan, and then we trust the God who knows fully and completely what we can never predict. That is why I love the promise 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!”

Life is unpredictable. There are countless things I can never know with certainty. What I can know, however, is that there is a God who knows all and loves me deeply. And by knowing Him, I can “be still”—I can be at peace. —Bill Crowder

What plans do I need to surrender to God today?For further study, read It’s Not Fair: Trusting God When Life Doesn’t Make Sense at discoveryseries.org/q0719

God’s care is the certainty we take into life’s uncertainties.

INSIGHT: Today’s psalm contains the much-loved and often-quoted words of verse 10: “Be still, and know that I am God.” But it is interesting to note the context of these words. The psalmist opens by celebrating the help of God in times of trouble (vv. 1-3) and then shows how strong the city of God is because God is there (vv. 4-7). In verses 8-9 the psalmist describes the strength of the Lord in terms of His power over war and desolation, and in verse 10 he proclaims that God will be “exalted among the nations.” In the midst of upheaval, whether natural or man-made, God is our stability. J.R. Hudberg

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