Psalm 46 (NIV)
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. According to alamoth. A song.
1 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.
The psalms were written to be used during worship time in the temple. Some psalms were written for private devotion but eventualy they were all sung as worship to God in the temple.
ReplyDeleteAs you know we find the following words in many psalms : God is our refuge and strength. For many centuries kings build their city on a mountain-top and surrounded it with big walls. It was very difficult for their enemies to reach the fortress and they were not able to attack by suprise because the guards on the walls could see them coming from a great distance.
This psalm is talking about Jerusalem at that time God was dwelling in 'the holy place' verse 4, as long as God was 'within' v5 Jerusalem, this city 'will not fall;' In verse 6 the psalmist describes God's power. Then in the following verse we have the confirmation that 'God'(...) 'is our fortress.' We don't need to look for a safe place on earth or we don't need to create for ourselves a safe place no matter where we are in the world, no matter what our possession are they will not keep us safe. We have to be with God at all times to find a refuge. The only time that we step out of God's presence is when we sin.
Today, we celebrate the death of Jesus on the cross. When Jesus was put on a cross his body was bleeding (You can read about it in John 19.) the blood of Jesus washes our sins away in the eyes of God. We can come to God and tell Him about our sin and He will forgive us.
God told His people in verse 10 "Be still and know that I am God;" He is saying no matter what happens He is God so we can be silent and in our hearts trust God's saving power. No matter how things play out in our lives we have to stay near to God.
Can you exalt God today? Can you praise God for what He has done and will do in your life?
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