This past Sunday, while listening to a sermon, I was struck for the first time by the beauty of a passage of Scripture that I thought I knew pretty well. Does that ever happen to you? In your own bible study or in a sermon, do you ever encounter a verse or chapter that is familiar, but for some reason or another, just hits you in a new way? Maybe something new stuck out or you found something profound or beautiful in the passage that you had never interpreted or appreciated in that way before. This occasionally happens to me and when it does, I’m overjoyed and thankful. I’m also reminded that we have an infinite and inexhaustible God who has given us His word. And even though His word is contained within a book – one that begins with Genesis and ends with Revelation – the truth, beauty and depth of the Scriptures has no end and is likewise inexhaustible.
This week, I simply want to share this passage with you and pray that it will encourage you, comfort you, or stir you in the same way it did me when I encountered it afresh just a few days ago. As I said before, it is a familiar passage for me and it’s altogether likely that it will be for you, as well. But whether you’ve been reading and studying it for years, or this is your first time interacting with it, I believe you’ll find it encouraging and hopeful, specifically if you are enduring hardships or experiencing struggles, as many are in these difficult times. We are going to let the Scriptures do the most talking as we read the entirety of Psalm 46 and just briefly reflect on the beauty, truth and goodness contained in this God-inspired poem written during the reign of King David.
Psalm 46
[1] God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
[2] Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
[3] though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah
[4] There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy habitation of the Most High.
[5] God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;
God will help her when morning dawns.
[6] The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
he utters his voice, the earth melts.
[7] The LORD of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
[8] Come, behold the works of the LORD,
how he has brought desolations on the earth.
[9] He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the chariots with fire.
[10] “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 of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah (ESV)
What an equally beautiful and empowering truth about our God. The psalm is a triumphant declaration of the sufficiency of God in the midst of our own suffering or dismay. It tells us that God is with us and that He is the antidote to fear and troubles. He is our refuge and our strength. He is our refuge because when we are persecuted, betrayed or hurt by others, we can find security and love in Him. And when the nations rage or the earth trembles, God is in control and we can turn to Him for comfort. But He is also our strength, which means that when our biggest problem isn’t persecution or tribulation from without, but instead within, our own failures, shortcomings and weaknesses, we can rely on God to overcome or accomplish in us the things we couldn’t ever hope to overcome or accomplish on our own.
Lastly, the psalm reminds us that the nations that rage, the borders which earthly rulers have drawn, and the wars that are ceaselessly waged are ultimately not the home for which we are destined. We have a heavenly King who rules a heavenly city, which is unmoved by the futile efforts of man and the weapons man employs. The psalm says, “The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.” We are citizens of this holy city. Moreover, we are sons and daughters of the King because of Jesus’ saving work on the cross.
I hope that this psalm was as impactful and profound to you as it was to me. Maybe you encountered it afresh or truly appreciated the beauty of this ancient poem for the first time. But even if no such spiritual “Eureka!” occurred, as long as you dwell on the encouraging truth in this passage – the same passage that inspired Martin Luther to write “A Mighty Fortress is Our God” – then it will surely provide encouragement as you experience all that the world throws at you. Take a moment to quiet your heart and mind and do as God’s word implores you, “Be still and know that I am God.”
