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Psalm 46

11 Jun

Psalm 46

For the choir director: A song of the descendants of Korah, to be sung by soprano voices.

1 God is our refuge and strength,
    always ready to help in times of trouble.
2 So we will not fear when earthquakes come
    and the mountains crumble into the sea.
3 Let the oceans roar and foam.
    Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge! Interlude

4 A river brings joy to the city of our God,
    the sacred home of the Most High.
5 God dwells in that city; it cannot be destroyed.
    From the very break of day, God will protect it.
6 The nations are in chaos,
    and their kingdoms crumble!
God’s voice thunders,
    and the earth melts!
7 The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us;
    the God of Israel is our fortress. Interlude

8 Come, see the glorious works of the Lord:
    See how he brings destruction upon the world.
9 He causes wars to end throughout the earth.
    He breaks the bow and snaps the spear;
    he burns the shields with fire.

10 “Be still, and know that I am God!
    I will be honored by every nation.
    I will be honored throughout the world.”

11 The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us;
    the God of Israel is our fortress. Interlude

Dear God, I would classify this as a psalm of orientation (as opposed to Brueggemann’s classification of psalms of orientation, disorientation, and reorientation). You are in charge and I trust you. I trust in you. I have no idols. I know who you are. I worship you. My head is clear. I will be still and know that you are God. I will honor you. I will worship you. Thank yo for being here with me. Selah

It’s too bad these moments of orientation can be so fleeting. I can get afraid and look to my idols to save me. My own intellect. Money. Government. My wife. I look to them to orient me, but they are all as dependable as shifting sand. And that’s not a slam on my wife. She’s amazing. But she’s human and her life is fragile. Things could change in a moment. She can’t be my idol. And it’s not fair to her to make her my idol. She doesn’t need that kind of pressure from me.

Father, you are my refuge and strength. You are always ready to help me in times of trouble. You might not solve the problem the way I want it solved, but you will be there to love, support, and comfort me through it. You will also be there to teach me through it, not allowing the pain to be wasted. So what is the worst that can happen in earthquakes come or the mountains crash into the sea? Maybe it will simply expedite my journey to seeing you without this veil beween us. I pray for peace on this earth. End the wars. End the suffering. End the death. Help me to know what my role is in yourplan for all of that.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on June 11, 2026 in Psalms

 

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Psalm 46

11 Jun

Psalm 46
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.

Dear God, the actual “Verse of the Day” for Bible Gateway was verse 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.”). The first thing I did after I read it was to read the whole psalm to see what the context of this oft-quoted verse is, and then I read to see who wrote it. The NLT says, “For the Director of Music. Of the sons of Korah. According to alamoth. A song.” After reading that I had a thought I’d never had before—this song was written by brothers.

I saw in Wikipedia some theories about why this psalm was written, but I don’t necessarily trust that and I don’t need to go there with it. I just like the idea of some brothers coming together to write you a song. Maybe it was after a military victory. Maybe they led singing in the temple regularly. Maybe it was something else. Whatever the case may be, the men had enough worship in their hearts for you to work together to write it down and share with others.

So, what did they have to say?

  • You are our refuge and help.
  • We won’t be afraid even though everything around us looks impossible to survive.
  • God lives in our city, and it will not fall.
  • There is a lot going on with other nations, but God is in control.
  • He is so much bigger than anything men do.
  • God is powerful. He is our fortress. Just look at what he’s done.
  • God stops war through bringing victory to his people.
  • God says to be still and know who he is. (Isn’t it interesting that they integrate being “still” as part of this?).
  • God says he is in charge of all of the nations whether they know it or not.
  • This same God is with us.

Father, help me to sing with these brothers today and every day. Help me to remember exactly who you are, exactly who I am, and exactly who others are around me. Bring you will and your kingdom into earth, and do it through me and anyone else you need to use.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on June 11, 2019 in Psalms

 

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