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NO 78:PSALM 46 (TODAY’S NIV Version)
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 daybreak.
6.Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth
melts.
7.The Lord Alimighty 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.“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.
This Psalm is again addressed to the chief
musician… and I love that the Word of God puts value on the highly
skilled in the areas of music and arts… In 1st Chronicles, we read
that Zechariah, Eliab and Benaiah were to praise the Lord with Psalteries
on Alamoth.As far as I can understand, this may mean to, not through
habit, fall into the trap of singing in only one key, but with intelligence,we
are to craft praises to appropriately express the fullness of the
occasion. This explanation may not be completely accurate as the
info available is scarce… but one thing I am confident of, is that
these ancient descriptions show that care, time and skill should
be used when being part of any song to honour our King. How great
is that!
The first two words in this Psalm again bring so much confidence… GOD
IS… our refuge, our strength, our VERY present help… GOD IS… Do you
actually believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that God IS all He says
He is? I truly believe that if we grasped this revelation of who
God Is, our lives would look extremely different.
God alone is our All in All, all other strength is weakness, and
a very present help. You know, yesterday, I watched on the screens
at church for a few minutes as Macca led worship at a funeral for
one of the dear brothers in our church. Yes, it was sad, yes there
was grief and heartache… but I had an overwhelming sense of His VERY
present help. Very… more than your closest friend or relative, and
even more present than the trouble itself. I think I’ve shared with
you before, that I’ll never forget just after my Dad died, that sense
of sadness was way too much to bear. I was at the clothesline crying
out to God… when I literally felt the arm of God rest around my shoulder
to comfort me… VERY present, coming at just the right time. So, with
this truth in mind…WE WILL NOT FEAR!Though many trials will try to
come and defeat us, we will stand knowing our God is near. Even when
heaven and earth pass away… EVEN THEN, GOD IS! Listen to this, ’Evil
may ferment, wrath may boil, and pride may foam, but the brave heart
of Holy confidence trembles not’… (Spurgeon of course!)
We then find a Selah… pause, be calm, think for a moment… The music
set to this psalm must have been quite colourful if you truly take
in the words, I think after such a musical interpretation, the psalmist
needed a breath to bring calm, and to reflect a moment. This pause
is not a fruit of dismay or doubt, but merely time to re-tune, set
your instrument for deliberate music of victory in the midst of a
storm. We’ve talked about this before… get ready for the music of
the overcomers.
Now we are at the river… whose streams make glad the city of God…The
City of God, Zion, whose streams are not intermittent, but ever flowing
with grace and favour, rivers of life and joy, supplying all of our
needs, bringing life and refreshing. The church is like the city
of God. His design, His glory, His purpose, His people, His message,
His provision… streams of life running from it. Dedicated to His
praise and glorified by His presence.
The City of God has always caused the enemy to rage, so it should
be of no surprise that the word says the heathen get angry about
the streams of life… How did this happen??? they continually ask,their
angry cries tend to swell in volume and intensity… and beautifully,
the Lord utters His voice, and the earth melts!!! GOD IS!!
Come and see is what the Psalmist declares. Come and see what God
did to overthrow our enemies… our strength and shield, our ever present
help… He was faithful yet again to His Word and His character. There
is talk of all that the powerful voice of the Lord achieves… peace
to war, end to strife, He crushes even the greatest of enemies until
they cannot wreak havoc ever again… ONE word from God is all it takes
to still the storm. That’s why you need to have the word of God IN
YOU.
Then, the words we all know and so value… BE STILL AND KNOW THAT
I AM GOD.The great I am, says remember, I AM.He will be exalted among
the heathen AND exalted on the earth….
Why then, do we hesitate to trust in our God… the great I AM. You
truly trust, you’ve got to let go of trying to work everything out
yourself…Trust is something that people put confidence or reliance
in. Learn to let go, and trust God.
I found this song by the great Reformer Martin Luther… this is from
a book written in 1866 entitled, ‘Hymn Writers and Their Hymns’ by
S.W Christophers.
‘
A sure Stronghold our God is He,
A timely shield and weapon;
Our help He’ll be and set us free
From every ill can happen.
And were the world with devils filled,
All eager to devour us,
Our souls to fear shall little yield,
They cannot overpower us.’
Luther’s explanation of Psalm 46 was… ‘We sing this Psalm to the
praise of God, because God is with us, and powerfully and miraculously
preserves and defends His church and His word, against all fanatical
spirits, against the gates of hell, against the implacable hatred
of the devil, and against all the assaults of the world, the flesh
and sin.’
So I leave you with that thought…’ GOD IS’
What IS GOD to you?? I pray He’s your source, your life, your anchor,
your breath, your reason, your song, your healer, your deliverer,
your friend, your Lord, and many other things I could list. Be confident
in His ability to hold your life in His hands. For you, are His greatest
pleasure…..
I love you so and miss you all so much… pray for us, we’ll be home
REAL SOON. God is so good.
In Him, Darls…. |
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