Reflection on Psalm 46
Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; 3 Though its waters roar and foam, Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride.
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, The holy dwelling places of the Most High. 5 God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns.
Introduction
This morning I want us to share a brief reflection on Psalm 46 in order to see what this psalm can tells about our past week and the devastating storm that has affected our area.
Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.
Notice at once psalm 46 opens by telling us three important things about God:
Simply put, psalm 46 opens by reminding us that God is a God who is there for us and to whom we can turn when life hits the hardest. In other words, when life falls apart our first move is to run to God. He is our refuge, He is our strength, and He is a very present help when there is nowhere else to turn.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea;
3 Though its waters roar and foam, Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride.
Notice at once the picture that verses 2-3 present is a picture that we have literally seen/lived over the last week. Floods and winds have changed the landscape profoundly. They have taken down the sturdiest of trees, smashed houses, downed powerlines and completely upended life. Not only that, mudslides have literally washed mountains into the valleys. Simply put, the picture that verses 2-3 present is a picture of all that we counted as most stable/enduring being upended and washed away.
Notice then the surprise: the psalmist says that we will not fear. However, please note what the psalmist doesn’t say: he doesn’t say that there is no reason to fear; nor does he say that we will not fear because none of this will ever happen to us; nor does he suggest that we are unaffected by disaster. Instead, he says that we will not fear even though all of this is happening to us. Why? There is something more stable and enduring upon which our hope rests. In other words, when the ground moves and life falters we have somewhere to turn that is more certain than all of these other things.
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, The holy dwelling places of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns.
Notice at once the contrast: in place of the raging torrents and mudslides that terrorized the world back in verses 2-3, the psalmist says that the people of God have a stream that makes their city glad, that brings it life and comfort and security (versus floods and destruction). So to which river is the psalmist referring? What is the name of this river? Notice we don’t have to guess.
Verse 5 tells us pointblank that it is God who is in her midst. In other words, the psalmist compares God to a river or spring that keeps a besieged city alive amid hostility. He is the water of life who sustains His people in the most difficult of situations. Notice the result: even though the mountains in verses 2-3 have slipped into the heart of the sea, the city, the people, and the plan of God are not moved. Not only that, notice on the morning after the storm, when the winds have subsided and the sky has cleared, God’s people and plan continue– as does His very present and ongoing help. In other words, as the morning light reveals all the wreckage and debris left behind by the storm, God’s plan for His people is found standing and continuing forward.
Importance: so what does this all look like in real time? Where did we see this theology over the last week, in places like North Carolina or right here in Greenville?
It looks like this: God’s commitment and care for His people are more stable and enduring than anything the world can offer. The world may change and even the ground beneath us give way, but God never lets go and His deliverance never fails. That said, it is vital to remember the biblical picture of deliverance that Scripture has taught us:
Regardless, in each case God’s commitment, hold, and present help never falter. Instead, God’s promise, plan, and each one of His children are found continuing on when the morning dawn the day after the storm.