WHAT IS HAPPENING?

 JULY 31, 2024

Almighty God, who commands the storm and the calm, the day and the night, life and death; grant me the grace to keep my heart anchored in Your faithfulness, Your constancy, and Your love, so that, come what may, I may gaze upon You with an untroubled eye. Amen

Psalm 46

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,3 though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.

4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. 5 God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.

6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

7 The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. 8 Come and see what the Lord has done, the desolations he has brought on the earth. 9 He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire. 

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.” 11 The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Our Bible’s open with the following acknowledgement: In the beginning, God created a world of order out of chaos (Genesis 1:1-2). Yet, in Psalm 46, from the Poet’s perspective, God’s order seems to have spiraled into disorder. Look at the description in Psalm 46:2-3, there we see a picture of nature in turmoil, with seas surging beyond their boundaries and mountains quaking and shattering. The imagery of nations and political powers devolving into chaos, as described in Psalm 46:6, resonates deeply with the sense of instability and uncertainty that can pervade our world.  

Now, don't you find that this vivid depiction of chaos is unsettling? I mean this Psalm reflects those times when the stability we rely on seems to be crumbling, the "waves" of disorder threaten to engulf  all order. God’s world and God’s people are under threat. Serious stuff right. 

What stands out to me in this Psalm is that while living in the midst of disorder the psalmist is unshaken in his trust of God. Notice that He hides in God like a fortress. He draws comfort from knowing that God is with him and protecting him (Psalm 46:7, 11). God is his refuge and present help (Psalm 46:1).

In response to such unsettling circumstances, we read that God raises his voice over the noise of natural and political chaos and commands them to be still (Psalm 46:9-10). And both "out of order" nature and nations obey God’s voice. The earth obediently melts into submission, weapons of conflict and violence are broken, and battles are ended. What comfort in turmoil this is!!

Wait!! there is more "Good News". In the place of all this instability and uncertainty, God builds a city by calm and peaceful streams and lives there with his people (Psalm 46:4). While mountains quake, seas rage, and nations war, the city of God does not fall because God is there, his protecting presence is with his people (Psalm 46:5-6).

Today, as you read this I wonder how many of us are in unstable situations where you feel like things are crumbling around you. If that's you today, take this Psalm's message and challenge to heart, and lean in and trust our Good God in all things. 

Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God!” The Hebrew verb “raphah” which is translated as “be still” literally means “to let something drop, to let go, or to abandon something.” I wonder what is it that you need to "drop", "let go of", "abandon" so that you may enter God's City of calm and peaceful streams. 

LET'S PRAY

God, still my body, mind, and spirit and let me know you. Amen.