Psalm 46
"Be still, and know that I am God" — the prayer for a noisy world.
God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
Therefore will not we fear,
though the earth be removed,
and though the mountains
be carried into the midst of the sea.
There is a river,
the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God.
God is in the midst of her;
she shall not be moved.
Be still, and know that I am God:
I will be exalted among the heathen,
I will be exalted in the earth.
The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our refuge.
Amen.
About this prayer
Psalm 46 is the psalm Martin Luther had in mind when he wrote "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God." Its center — "Be still, and know that I am God" — has become one of the most quoted lines in scripture, especially in an age that does not know how to be still. The whole psalm leans on a single claim: the Lord of hosts is with us.
When to pray it
When the news is loud. When you cannot quiet your thoughts. When you need to remember that the world is held by someone other than you.