“Be still and know that I am God” (Ps. 46:10). I grew up hearing sermons and devotional reflections on this verse. I saw it on everything from T-shirts to bumper stickers to throw pillows. I received it as a word of comfort in various trials. Yet even as I’ve grounded my commitment to nonviolence in scripture for years, there’s one thing that never occurred to me.

Psalm 46 is no cozy comfort – it’s a radical call to turn to the way of peace.