This coming Sunday we will be celebrating the Reformation, and the assigned psalm in our lectionary is Psalm 46. Dr. Martin Luther paraphrased this psalm as the basis for his most well-known and beloved hymn, A Mighty Fortress is Our God. Notice the symmetry in these verses, with verse six being the central verse.
PSALM 46
1 God is our refuge and strength,
a very present 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.
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.
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.
We see & experience wars, pandemics, economic hardships, hatred & violence among our fellow citizens, strife & divisions in our families, and so forth. All of these can seem so hopeless and overwhelming. But in this psalm, as He so often does, God gives us His eternal perspective on the rage-filled and tottering world.
God clears His throat, God speaks His Word, and the earth melts. God is in complete control of everything which appears to us as complete, hopeless chaos. When God decides, this world is judged and over, and He will create a new heaven and new earth, perfect and sinless. In verse 10, the LORD speaks clearly to us about who He is, what we should do and what the future holds for His creation.
At the beginning, the middle and the end of this psalm, we see the loving encouragement from the LORD our God: He is your very present help in trouble, He is always with you, and He is your Fortress. This is true throughout all time: the world’s existence, our country’s existence, and your life.
The LORD is with you and protecting you all the days of your life, no matter what is going on around you or with you! Thanks be to God, for His very present help!
Pilgrim Lutheran Church, LCMS Burton, Michigan
office: 810.744.1188
mobile: 248.881.7627
Soli Deo Gloria
"Blesséd be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation.” Psalm 68:19
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