God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains
tremble at its swelling. There is a river whose streams
make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High.
God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;God will
help her when morning dawns.
The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice,
the earth melts.
The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Come, behold the works of the Lord, how he has brought
desolations on the earth. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire.
“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!” The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
This is a powerful and encouraging Psalm which opens with a description of a great calamitous event. The details can fit almost any great trouble: sickness, plague, war, political upheaval, or any number of “natural” disasters. The most devastating event that has occurred during my lifetime was the great Tsunami of 2004. Certainly, the events described here fit that great disaster. As many of us recall, a powerful earthquake caused waves to travel across the Indian Ocean inundating many lands, drowning hundreds of thousands of people, wiping out entire families as well as disrupting the lives of millions of others. Volcanic eruptions, tornadoes, hurricanes and cyclones also fit the category of which the Psalmist speaks as do wars, 9/11, the H bombs dropped on Japan, and the various genocides of the majority world nations. And certainly, now the mind of man can conceive of even greater disasters than these caused by both the wicked hand of terrorists and “natural” events.
The Psalmist is confident that the Lord upholds His own through even the most chaotic of events. He preserves them from harm or gives them the strength to endure. In addition, it is the Lord who controls the flow and ebb of all these events. The “natural” disasters that have so disrupted life within the last few several years demonstrate His mighty power and are a testimony to His greatness. Even “man-made” events are limited and shaped by His Almighty will. Many curse God because of them, but often they lead many to Him. God works in all these calamities so that we may have faith in Him. Thus, we too should exalt Him rather than join the chorus of voices who see Him either as uncaring or impotent.
Psalm 46
