Read Psalm 46
1 God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.[c]
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
5 God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.
6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
7 The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
8 Come and see what the Lord has done,
the desolations he has brought on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease
to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields[d] with fire.
10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
11 The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
It’s easy to be overwhelmed by present circumstances. To feel fear, or anxiety or sadness when things seem like they’re out of control. When things seem so insurmountable or too big that we just want to escape and hide. And we see hints of this in this Psalm, in verse 2 and verse 3.
This world is so broken, we’re so broken and we’re so often reminded of this. Yet this Psalm starts with “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear”.
What an amazing comfort and reassurance God is for us. We don’t have to stand up and face our fears by ourselves, because God is our refuge. We don’t need to be strong ourselves against the huge problems, because God is our strength. We don’t need to fix the brokenness by ourselves, because God is an ever-present help in trouble.
God Himself says in verse 10 “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
And He is exalted. How? Read Philippians 2:5-11.
He’s exalted in the most wonderful way. So be still and know that He is God. Sit at the foot of the cross and marvel!
By Ian Coutts (Families Pastor & Gospel Community Vision Coordinator)
Reflection Question:
- How can this Psalm be a comfort and reassurance to you and to others?
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