Peace in the Storms of Life
Psalm 46 seems to be set in a time of turmoil, yet the author found consolation in the Lord and encourages us that God is a very present help for us. He is not distant or indifferent and He is here right now.
“There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High.” (Psalm 46:4, NKJV)
The Holy Spirit is described as a River (John 7:38-39) that makes glad the city of God which is the place where God dwells on the earth. You as a believer are His city or dwelling place on the earth (I Corinthians 6:19; Hebrews 12:22-23) on this earth. He has sent Holy Spirit, who abides in us forever, to make us glad, not sad.
“God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.” (Psalm 46:5, NKJV)
God dwells in the midst of His people and it is that experiential knowledge that keeps us from being shaken. Jesus told us that no storm can prevail against us when we live in accordance with the Bible (Matthew 7:24-25). We are not to be shaken or afraid to live on the earth, regardless of what is going on around us. Psalm 91 says if persons are slain around us or if pestilence is raging outside, it shall not do us harm, because God is with us.
There is also strength is a community (two or more believers who stand together) as noted in Matthew 16:18, where Jesus declares the powers of hell cannot prevail against us.
We have this promise that God shall help us and He shall not arrive too late, but right on time. The psalms teach us that happy are the people who know God has their helper and have the expectation that He is always present to help. We thank You Lord, today, that You are always here to help and we ask forgiveness for those times when we have doubted either Your willingness or Your ability to help us.
“The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved; He uttered His voice, the earth melted.” (Psalm 46:6, NKJV)
We find the nations raging. We find that raging is the fruit of those who refuse to acknowledge the Lord as God and who esteem their desires/words above the word of the Lord. Raging is the fruit of refusing to repent before the Lord. When we repent we are acknowledging that He is right and we are wrong. David, who is described as one who wholeheartedly followed the Lord said the following.
“Every law of God is right, whatever it concerns. I hate every other way.” (Psalm 119:128, The Living Bible, Paraphrased)
It is not a time to rage, but to humble ourselves before the Lord and His Word. The first one who rose up in rage, was an angel named Lucifer, whose name meant “light bearer” or “shining one” and the Bible reveals that he was called to be a worship leader among the heavenly hosts long before man was created. However, he decided to not be who God called him to be and instead he decided he wanted to be worshipped.
Five times he spoke in rebellion against God without being deposed (see Isaiah 14:12-14). We are not given the record of God’s dialogue with Lucifer, but we know that God is merciful and has no pleasure in crushing a rebellious one. However, his refusal to repent after five occasions of rebellion, brought a swift judgment on occasion number six when he said, “I will be like the Most High.” His pride caused him to reject the lordship of God and the choices of God for his life. He was created to be Lucifer but chose to be Satan which means “adversary.”
Jesus describes the duration of the battle lost by Satan against Michael as like the speed of lightening (Luke 10:18). Lightening moves from the clouds to the earth in less than a second. Lightening is a natural sign for us all of supremacy of God and the futility of raging against Him. It should cause us to bow low in worship to God.
There cannot be a choice of leadership unless there is more than one option, so God permits Satan to live as the second option. We choose on this earth to submit to Jesus as Lord or to rage against the Lord in rebellion. Our choices result in us becoming like Jesus or becoming like Satan.
The last part of verse 6 says when the Lord raises His voice, the earth melts in submission. There is a strong warning in Proverbs 10:30 that declares the righteous shall never be removed from the earth, but the wicked SHALL NOT inhabit the earth. The Divine design of the earth is for the salvation of the humanity. Those who persist in wickedness after being offered salvation will find no resting place in the earth, but for those who receive Jesus as Savior and Lord, the earth is a place of peace and joy where we have the opportunity to grow in our fellowship with the Lord. Holy Spirit is telling us that as we know the Lord, that fear shall depart, and faith shall enter our hearts. This rest within us shall grow to affect the people around us.
“The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah” (Psalm 46:7, NKJV)
The psalmist reminds us that the Lord of hosts, or the Commander of the Angel Armies is with us (both to protect us and to fight against those who would come against us). One angel, in the days of Assyria choosing to fight Israel (II Kings 19:35) killed 185,000 enemy soldiers overnight, so what do you think an angelic army can do to protect the children of God on the earth? This is Who is with us and if He is with us, who (whether spirit or human) has the power to stand against us?
At the end of these four verses from Psalm 46, we find the word Selah which means to pause and think about what has been written and who God is in our lives. Oswald Chambers says we are weak as Christians when we starve our minds. He says we starve our minds by thinking about something other than the Lord. Isaiah 26:3 says “perfect peace” is ours when we intentionally think about the Lord. Help us Lord to still our minds and focus them upon You today, that we might experience the peace You want us to have. Blessings.
Evans
The New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982. Print.
Taylor, Kenneth Nathaniel. The Living Bible, Paraphrased. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, 1997. Print.