God’s Defense of His City and People
To the leader. Of the Korahites. According to Alamoth. A Song.
1 God is our refuge and strength,
    a very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change,
    though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam,
    though the mountains tremble with its tumult. Selah
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 the city; it shall not be moved;
    God will help it when the morning dawns.
6 The nations are in an uproar; the kingdoms totter;
    he utters his voice; the earth melts.
7 The Lord of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah
8 Come, behold the works of the Lord;
    see what desolations he has brought 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 shields with fire.
10 “Be still, and know that I am God!
    I am exalted among the nations;
    I am exalted in the earth.”
11 The Lord of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

This is one of my favorite Psalms. It speaks to my heart in many ways. I was first drawn to Verse 10, “Be still, and know that I am God!” For the longest time I interpreted that single sentence as God’s promise that everything will be OK, that God has everything under control, God is holding the reins, and I can relinquish control over uncontrollable situations. It’s a very soothing, comforting thought. There were many times in my life when I felt the world crashing around my ears. Times when I was deathly ill. Times when I made horrible choices and had to live with the consequences. Times when I said “yes” when I should have said “NO!” But God was with me all the way. I used to torture myself with excruciating pangs of regret, punishing myself mentally and emotionally. But now, looking back, I see that God was with me the whole time. God carried me through everything. All I had to do was to be still, be aware of God’s hand carrying me and leading me through the darkness.
But when I started to study and research Psalm 46 in preparation for my first blog post, I realized that I missed the point of the entire Psalm. It begins with the acknowledgement that God is our Protector, the One to whom we can turn confidently in times of turmoil. The Psalmist tries to come up with the worst possible scenarios of the natural world that would scare the willies out of anyone. To the people of that time, life depended on having a solid foundation beneath their feet. The earth simply did not normally quake, the seas normally did not roar with fury, mountains did not normally crumble and fall. Daily life should be secure and predictable. But if and when disasters struck, the Psalmist reminds us that God has our backs. God is there and will protect us.
Verses 4 through 7 assure us that God’s presence among us is real, tangible and immutable. It’s like having a protective shield over and around us. We forget this is when we try to take up the battle in our own egotistic, human way. God was essentially saying “Whoa! Take a breath! I’m in charge here, you don’t have to worry. After all, all the nations in all the earth know Who I Am!”
This Psalm also reminds me of 1 Kings 19:11-13:
11 He said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.” Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; 12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. 13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
Elijah was on the run from Ahab and Jezebel after a showdown between Yahweh and Baal. Naturally, Baal was a no-show, which incensed Jezebel who ordered Elijah to be killed. After being refreshed with food and drink by an angel, Elijah was directed to Horeb, to a cave in the mountain. Elijah listened for God’s voice, and only heard it as a quiet whisper. In the sheer silence. How powerful is that? God has Elijah’s complete and undivided attention, not distracted by the noise of the wind, earthquake or fire.
How often do we allow our noisy lives distract us from and drown out the quiet voice within and without us that is the Voice of God? I have a plaque on my desk with the simple phrase “Slow Down.” I can’t count the number of times I have to remind myself to quiet my mind, be in the present moment, and believe totally that there is time to step back and take a breath. Eckart Tolle says that there is no future, there is no past, there is only NOW. We only exist in the present moment. And it is in the present moment that we hear God’s voice. For a full discourse on Eckart Tolle’s philosophy, read his book “The Power of Now.” In the process of studying it, I’m beginning to develop the ability to stop shaming and berating myself for past mistakes. I’m also learning how to not worry about future events over which I have no control. I can be calm and serene in God’s presence. This is the same message spoken in Psalm 46.
So, whether you need a reminder to stop battling, striving, or struggling against insurmountable odds, or fretting what may or may not happen, take a moment and read, study, ponder and absorb this beautiful little Psalm that says so much.