Psalms 46:1-10 NIV 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.”
A Mighty Fortress Is Our God
When we see all the things that are happening all around us in this world. Racial and sexual identity issues, war in Ukraine and other places in the world and the horrible events of this past week in Israel and Gaza, this can be terrifying. Psalm 46 is a good reminder that God is our refuge and strength. Before Jesus ascended into heaven, He promised, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age
Matthew 28:16-20 NIV Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (emphasis mine)
Psalm 46 was the inspiration behind Martin Luther's writing of the hymn “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”, in the midst of his hiding for years because of his commitment to salvation by faith alone, and the bubonic plague sweeping the are where he lived.
Psalm 46 presents two terrifying images. First, a natural disaster with the ground shaking and mountains tumbling into the turbulent seas.
Psalms 46:2-3 NIV 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.
Second, we see the foreign nations in an uproar.
Psalms 46:6 NIV Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
One can imagine vast armies surrounding Jerusalem and threatening its very existence. Yet in the midst of these chaotic and frightening circumstances, the psalmist was able to proclaim,
Psalms 46:1 NIV God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
Israel was able to take comfort, not in a vast army, or strongly fortified city, but in the presence of a God who is able to help.
Psalms 46:5 NIV God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.
The psalmist addresses the nations directly, inviting them to “Come and see what the Lord has done”. They are invited to remember the great victories He achieved in the past: the defeat of Pharaoh’s army at the Red Sea, for example.
Psalms 46:8-9 NIV 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.
The tone shifts dramatically in verse 10. The Lord Himself addresses the rebellious and threatening nations. He commands them to “be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations”.
Psalms 46:10 NIV 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 command to “be still” is not so much an encouragement to silent meditation but a warning to cease fighting and to acknowledge the Lord’s sovereignty.
Terrifying and frightening things happen in the world today. This psalm is a good reminder
that God is our refuge and strength. Before Jesus ascended into heaven, He promised, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age”
Matthew 28:18-20 NIV Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
A Mighty Fortress Is Our God
When we see all the things that are happening all around us in this world. Racial and sexual identity issues, war in Ukraine and other places in the world and the horrible events of this past week in Israel and Gaza, this can be terrifying. Psalm 46 is a good reminder that God is our refuge and strength. Before Jesus ascended into heaven, He promised, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age
Matthew 28:16-20 NIV Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (emphasis mine)
Psalm 46 was the inspiration behind Martin Luther's writing of the hymn “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”, in the midst of his hiding for years because of his commitment to salvation by faith alone, and the bubonic plague sweeping the are where he lived.
Psalm 46 presents two terrifying images. First, a natural disaster with the ground shaking and mountains tumbling into the turbulent seas.
Psalms 46:2-3 NIV 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.
Second, we see the foreign nations in an uproar.
Psalms 46:6 NIV Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
One can imagine vast armies surrounding Jerusalem and threatening its very existence. Yet in the midst of these chaotic and frightening circumstances, the psalmist was able to proclaim,
Psalms 46:1 NIV God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
Israel was able to take comfort, not in a vast army, or strongly fortified city, but in the presence of a God who is able to help.
Psalms 46:5 NIV God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.
The psalmist addresses the nations directly, inviting them to “Come and see what the Lord has done”. They are invited to remember the great victories He achieved in the past: the defeat of Pharaoh’s army at the Red Sea, for example.
Psalms 46:8-9 NIV 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.
The tone shifts dramatically in verse 10. The Lord Himself addresses the rebellious and threatening nations. He commands them to “be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations”.
Psalms 46:10 NIV 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 command to “be still” is not so much an encouragement to silent meditation but a warning to cease fighting and to acknowledge the Lord’s sovereignty.
Terrifying and frightening things happen in the world today. This psalm is a good reminder
that God is our refuge and strength. Before Jesus ascended into heaven, He promised, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age”
Matthew 28:18-20 NIV Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
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