The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my mind and heart in Psalm 46:7,
"The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress."
Psalm 46 is a psalm of assurance for those who have embraced the Lord in faith. While written by the son's of Korah as a psalm for Israel, the theme is unmistakable as assurance for those who belong to the Lord. As an encouragement during difficult, and even desperate times, we are reminded twice in these short eleven verses that "the Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress." We find it in verse seven and also as the closing verse eleven.
Even in cataclysm, "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", the Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress! When "nations are in uproar" and "when kingdoms fall" the Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress!
We are reminded at the beginning of the psalm that God is our refuge and strength, "an ever-present help in trouble." No need for fear! In verses 8-10 we are invited to observe the awesome acts of God, "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.'"
When it is all said and done, no matter how horrific things look to be, there is no need for fear, no need for anxiety. God will bring his own resolution to all events that transpire on earth, no matter how desperate things look. The outcome of all will be that he will be "exalted in the earth" and since we belong to him, there is no cause for fear of the outcome of things. The ultimate outcome of everything is that God will bring us safely into the resurrection, into his family where we will enjoy him for an eternity. As Paul observes, "If God is for us, who can be against us?" Romans 8:31b.
Fear and anxiety should be reserved only for those who have not embraced the Lord in faith. It is there we find a real and certain cause for fear and anxiety. For all who have not fled to Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins, the certainty of a fiery lake of burning sulfur awaits... Revelation 21:8.
Blessed are we whose refuge and strength is God! Blessed are we who have him as an ever-present help in trouble! How blessed we are that he, the Lord Almighty is with us! How blessed we are that he is the fortress we safely reside within!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
No comments:
Post a Comment