“Be still, and know that I am God.”1
“He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside still waters …”2
“Then He said, ‘Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.’ And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind, an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake, a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire, a still small voice.
So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him and said, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’”3
I recently ran a Google AI search and got the following response about the scientific veracity of the statement, “Still waters run deep”:
“In fluid dynamics and oceanography, a calm surface often hides significant depth and intense physical activity.
1. Deceptive Calmness and Rip Currents
The clearest real-world example is a rip current. To an observer on the beach, a rip current often looks like a calm, flat gap between breaking waves.
- Why it looks still: Waves do not break in these areas because the water is deeper there (a “channel”).
- The intensity below: While the surface may look peaceful and inviting, a powerful stream of water is moving rapidly away from the shore underneath, often faster than an Olympic swimmer.
2. Stratification and Internal Waves
Large bodies of water like lakes and oceans are stratified into layers based on temperature and density.
- The surface layer: In calm weather, the top layer (epilimnion) can appear completely still and stable.
- Deep movement: Below the surface, “internal waves” can occur along the boundaries of these layers. These waves can be massive, sometimes hundreds of feet tall, carrying immense energy while remaining invisible except for subtle surface clues.
3. Thermohaline Circulation (The Global Conveyor Belt)
On a global scale, the ocean operates a massive deep-water circulation system.
- Deep currents: While the surface may be calm, cold and salty water at the poles sinks to the bottom, driving powerful deep-ocean currents that move enormous volumes of water across the globe.
- Noise in the deep: Despite assumptions of eerie stillness, NOAA has found that even the deepest parts of the ocean are filled with constant low-frequency activity from earthquakes and distant storms.”4
Tying It Altogether
I find all of these scientific insights beautifully aligned with Scripture. The opening passages are not only poignant, they are profoundly instructive and give further credence to science’s discoveries.
Psalm 46 calls us to “be still and know” in the midst of turbulent and thundering circumstances. It implies:
a. God’s settled conclusion that the believer is secure in His incontestable greatness and ability, and can be conditioned to assume a posture of stillness and confidence5 despite opposing circumstances.
b. Stillness – a quieting of raging hearts and minds, positioned to hear and receive from Him – must precede revelation knowledge or a Rhema Word. One of the primary reasons the enemy seeks to steal our joy, peace, and attention through relentless activity and anxiety is to obscure God’s voice, keeping us trapped in cycles of fruitlessness, oppression, and confusion.
Psalm 23:2–3 reinforces this truth.
Why does He make (or invite6) us lie down in green pastures? Why lead us beside still waters?
a. To restore our souls.
He repairs, renews, revives, and reinstates us into the proper condition of heart and mind, much like a branch drawing life-giving nutrients from the trunk of a tree.
b. To guide us forward.
He leads and instructs us into our uniquely designed paths of exceptional living, so that He may be seen, known, and glorified through us.
In 1 Kings 19:11–13, God appeared through wind, earthquake, and fire – classic manifestations of His presence and power – yet He did not speak through them. Why?
a. He was revealing the dimensions of His presence. These manifestations signaled His nearness, but they were not His personal, intimate expression. Much like a presidential motorcade announces arrival without being the president himself, the wind, earthquake, and fire were divine signals – not the Person.
The still, small voice marked the moment of personal encounter.
Pause and consider that.
b. God was emphasizing that discernment requires stillness. Though He could have spoken through any of those dramatic displays, He chose a form that demanded quiet attentiveness and sensitivity. Both “still” and “small” require a heart postured to listen.
There is nothing shallow or chaotic about God.
He moves in the profundity of the deep—simple, ordered, and perfectly designed.7
When He invites us to be still, it is not an invitation to indolence, inactivity, or unprofitableness.
It is an invitation to something far greater:
unseen spiritual servicing,
quiet upgrading,
deep re-energizing,
and divine recommissioning—
drawing us into ever-increasing levels of communion with Him and impact in our world.
A Personal Call To (In)Action
Beloved lover of God, take time today to be still. The word “be” suggests more than a moment – it references a lifestyle.
Step away, even if only for a few hours, from the usual cadence of life—even the familiar spiritual routines—and meet Him in the quiet.
Let Him lead you into the unscripted, the uncommon, and the deeply intentional.
When you offer God the first fruits of your time—especially in ways that break routine—you position yourself for tangible, commanded blessings. He has never asked His people to seek Him in vain.8
So what is the invitation?
Break from the usual.
Step beyond the routine.
Move past the rote.
Slip into what I like to call “stealth” or “submarine” mode—moving under cover, purposefully, and fully immersed.
There, in the quiet depths, you will witness the tangible wonders of God.9
Beneath the surface, there is movement.
There is strategy.
There is life.
You may seem solitary and even stationary—and yet be making unprecedented strides.
A submarine does not cease activity when it submerges—it intensifies it.
Beneath the surface, there is focused, strategic, highly coordinated activity.
Systems are engaged.
Missions are executed.
Progress is made in ways unseen.
So it is with you.
When you steal away to immerse in His stillness,
You are not relegated—you are being refined.
You are not inactive—you are being prepared.
You are not inconsequential—you are being positioned with precision.10
Let this settle deeply in your spirit:
Stillness is not wasted or useless. It is teeming with highly productive, destiny-projecting orchestrations – at a depth no casual eye or ear can discern.11
Allow the Holy Spirit to renovate, innovate, and upgrade you for what this season demands.
BE STILL AND KNOW = BE STILL AND GROW, GLOW, GO, & SHOW!12
***Dedicated with much love and deep appreciation to the faithful and committed Warrior Women of the Threshing Room, a weekly virtual Prayer and Encounter platform – for whom this was originally penned.***
Bibliography
- Psalm 46:10 ↩︎
- Psalm 23:2–3 ↩︎
- 1 Kings 19:11–13 ↩︎
- Google. (2026). AI-generated response to query: “Scientific veracity of ‘still waters run deep.’” Google Search AI. Retrieved April 11, 2026. ↩︎
- Psalm 131:1-3; Isiah 30:15 ↩︎
- Mark 6:31 ↩︎
- Psalm 107:23–24 ↩︎
- Isaiah 45:19 ↩︎
- Psalm 107:24 ↩︎
- “Teach Me To Wait” poem in Know Retreats, Know Surrender (Part 3):
https://thewordofhisgrace.com/know-retreats-know-surrender-part-3/ ↩︎ ↩︎ - 1 Corinthians 2:9 ↩︎
- Isaiah 40:30-31, 1 Peter 2:9, Matthew 28:18-20
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