News and Views

‘Be still, and know that I am God!
I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth.'
The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. -- Psalm 46:8-11 (NRSV)  

Just a few short months ago, The United Methodist Church gathered in Charlotte, NC, to hold our General Conference. Our scriptural theme, …And Know That I am God, was taken from Psalm 46. Perhaps the first thing one noticed was the absence of the two words that preceded the theme: Be still. Be still. Be still.

In these days fraught with increased anxiety, vitriolic conversations, litigious battles, relentless accusations, systemic deconstruction and compounded loss, one of the most important actions we can take is to be still. Be still for a time without listening to the talking heads. Be still without mindlessly doom-scrolling. Be still without even engaging in a conversation with our beloveds. Just Be Still. And in our being still, the power of the succeeding words from the Scripture will become ever more compelling – and know that I am God.

God is still God even as the earth shakes and the seas roar. God is still God, even as the familiar gives way to the disconcerting. God is still God, even as hard-won rights are erased with the stroke of a pen. God is still God, even in the face of economic uncertainty. God is still God, even as the things we have taken for granted are now in jeopardy. God is still God even as trials come on every hand. God is still God, and the truths of God do not change: 

God is love.
God is good. 
God will never leave us nor forsake us.
God is our rock and refuge.
God loves us; God loves you.
God is.

These immutable truths do not change and will sustain us as we walk through these tumultuous days. There are times when the only way out is through, and we are in such a time. In such days it is impossible to avoid strong emotions. This is all the more reason to remain rooted, grounded, planted, and centered in Almighty God. As everything around us becomes like sinking sand and we feel unmoored, the steadfastness of God is our anchor. Be still and know that I am God. 

Beloved, I encourage you to be intentional about when and where you engage the news. Be mindful of what a steady diet of news and social media are doing to your well-being. Be mindful of what constant conversations about our political milieu are doing to your peace of mind. We cannot avert our eyes from the disturbing and sometimes evil things unfolding around us; but neither can we allow them to unsettle us to the point that we lose our equilibrium and our trust in the goodness and power of God.

I encourage you to be intentional about when and how you engage in acts of advocacy, protest and resistance. I’ve shared with you many times the advice I received from a wise supervisor – You cannot swing at every ball. While the church must not be silent in times of injustice and oppression, no one can singlehandedly fight the good fight. We must be intentional about when we will speak, write, advocate or march. Otherwise, we will find ourselves succumbing to justice fatigue. Be still and know that I am God so that: 

We act and not react.
We rightly divine the Word of Truth.
We wait upon the Lord.
We renew our strength.
We remain within the will of God.

 We do not know what trials await us in the coming days or how we will be called to respond as the people of God. But we know that the God of our salvation will be as close as breath. As we live our faith and embody our baptism, also take time to be still and know that God is God.

 Beloved, know that I am praying for you, our nation and our world. You are precious in God’s sight and at the very center of the heart of God. You are strong, you are resilient, and you are blessed. God will sustain us, and we will surround one another with love, comfort and unyielding hope.

Blessings and Peace,
Bishop LaTrelle Easterling
Baltimore-Washington and Peninsula-Delaware Area