Psalm Fourty-Six… January 30, 2023
For the Director of Music. Of the Sons of Korah. According to alamoth. A song.
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.
God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.
Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Come and see what the Lord has done, the desolations he has brought on the earth.
He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire.
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
(selected verses)
Ein Feste Burg – Probably one of the most well-known hymns all around the world today and we know it as A Mighty Fortress Is Our God. It is said that this was Martin Luther wrote this from his favorite psalm, Forty-Six. There are a few psalms that you know by heart or at least can almost say the words to yourself when you hear them read. For me, this psalm is almost like that in that I have heard nearly every one of these phrases many times in my life in a variety of times and places but never really together in one psalm. We have songs in our library that have texts that come from Psalm 46 and I’m sure you have heard these great lines read in responsive readings in worship throughout your lives.
Back in the Bible lands and times God commanded that there be some selected towns that were “Cities of Refuge” where regular citizens could flee to be free from oppressors. Back then, they lived under the code of “an eye for an eye” and if you accidentally did something to someone else and they came after you, you could flee to a city of refuge and be safe – get your things together and make things right. You couldn’t expect the police to come to your aid and settle down the crowd!
Sometimes we just need help. God is not just our immediate refuge to flee to, but he is our strength to get through the circumstances. And he’s not one that you have to wait on for years to appear and give help… he is there instantly even before you need him to be. Earthquakes and floods will come for sure, but God is always your foundation when everything around is falling down. Everywhere we look today there are problems and turmoil – counties falling apart, cities burning, killings everywhere, whole governments shooting their own people! We need help – and where do we find that help? God is our ever-present help!
“Nations are in turmoil, kingdoms fall”… how did the Psalmist know that? Doesn’t take a prophet – it has been that way for a very long time! But when the Almighty lifts his voice the earth melts, he is above it all. Look through history and see what God has done – he creates the desolation and MAKES WARS CEASE!
So what do you do when trouble comes your way? Realize that God is your refuge, he’s the place you go. Then look around and remember what God has done for you. Take some time and be still to realize that God is there and wants to be close to you. Relax! You’re in God’s fortress and your adversaries can’t get through its walls!