Psalm 46.
1 God is our refuge and strength,
a very present[b] help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy habitation of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;
God will help her when morning dawns.
6 The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
he utters his voice, the earth melts.
7 The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
8 Come, behold the works of the Lord,
how he has brought desolations on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the chariots with fire.
10 “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 of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
The Psalm that I have just read Psalm 46 is a Psalm that tells of God’s greatness and how he treats his people, how is there for his people. The picture that we get is that even if the mountains fall into the sea he will still be there for us, though the sea roar and the waves are massive God is still God. Do you know this do you know that God is God?
In the verses that follow we get an interesting picture. The picture of the river that makes glad the city of God Jerusalem, is an interesting thing because Jerusalem does not have a river flowing through it, it has a small stream that flows into Siloam where the pool is that Jesus sent the man who was born blind in order to complete his healing. The thinking of the Psalmist in declaring the words, “There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High” is that the Divine presence of God himself that bring gladness to his people, that the presence of God with his people will change things up for the good of his people. Do you know the presence of God, do you know that God is God?
In this world there seems to be trouble, it seems that we live in times when we certainly require the ever present help of God. Ebola, bird flu in Europe, the ongoing wars in the Middle East, these things that trouble us and somehow we know that God is there with us at these times.
I've been thinking a lot of late about the troubles that are going on in the world; we have a number of situations in the world. An interesting challenge to me came with the fears of the Ebola virus. That the world has responded and seems to be beating the virus at present, nations have responded to keep this disease in Africa. The challenge that came to me was that everyday an estimated 21 thousand die of hunger or hunger related causes worldwide according to the United Nations, but the world has responded to this virus because it has the potential to reach beyond Africa and kill us all. How will we respond to the starving? There is a cry for social justice, for justice for the hungry who die while we are feed. We have opportunities to feed others through, our own missions, tear fund, world vision, Oxfam to name a few for cents a day do we extend ourselves in these directions? Do we know that we can be Jesus to the hungry; do we know that we are called to feed the hungry?
That while things are happening there is an understanding that God is with us in it and he brings us peace, that while the world around us may be in turmoil he is sorting things out for those who wait, who are still and know that he is God.
Psalm forty six points to peace in two areas, the peace that he works at, that God brings through peacemakers by his own power to bring about resolution and understanding for all the world.
The other is that peace that we know here in our hearts, that we understand when we centre our thinking on God that we can understand as a certainty, but still somehow surpasses, transcends our understanding.
We even feature in this Psalm in an interesting way when God says through the Psalmist, ““Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” As a nation we were not even on the radar when this Psalm was written. The other part of this passage that makes a lot of sense to us living in New Zealand is that while we were not on the radar, the ends of the earth are here. The most distant place that is inhabited distant from Jerusalem is I’m lead to believe the bottom part of New Zealand.
The declaration” be still and know that I am God”, is this something that we do.
Be Still, This is something that is not always easy to do, stillness. Being still is a verb in a similar way in which running is a verb, Be still, stop, posture yourself before God, time aside, in quietness, still your mind, rest your heart, distant other thoughts other than the desire to know that he is God, be still, breathe deeply the air that keeps you alive, know that you are the creation and that God has provided what you need to nourish your body, the creator has provided, be still.
And, wait, wait on God wait, continue to breathe you will encounter God. "Know that I am God," God is called many things, but he is God, creator, Lord, wonderful, strong one, the Almighty, the everlasting, The Most High, the provider, my banner, the Lord of peace, the Lord of hosts, the sanctifier, our shepherd, our righteousness, that he is there, our master and our owner, unique, the only true God, saviour, Master and Father. The psalmist calls him our refugee and our strength, our very present help.
Will you take time aside this week to experience that God is God as in stillness, actively sought stillness you know that he is?
Take time aside in stillness, holding onto that understanding that God will be God. That he will be there at all times. Let’s exalt and praise him that he is!
