“Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!”
The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress. Psalm 46.10-11
This last section of the Psalm begins with God speaking. And the first words are quite striking. 'Be still!' This is the kind of thing that you say to someone who is agitated and stirred up. And whom is He speaking to? Who is on the receiving end of this command? He is speaking to His people who are tempted to be anxious about what is going on around them. The problem is that 'the nations rage'. The temptation is to be afraid. The point of the psalm is that there is no need to fear. 'God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.' Since that is true, God, in His compassion, commands(!) His people to calm down. And He tells them why they can be calm and not give in to fear. The enemies that have been raging around them will be utterly conquered. God will be exalted over them. And not just a few here and there. He will be exalted over them throughout the earth. Or to be more precise, He will be exalted not 'over' but 'among' those nations. There is the hint here that these nations that raged 'against the Lord and His Anointed' will be so changed that they will, instead, exalt the Lord by their own praise. These nations will, in time, join the the Church and worship the only true God. They will be conquered by being converted. So, what is there to fear?