On the Other Hand

Pslam 46:  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. Selah

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. Selah

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. Selah

Remember Tevye in "The Fiddler on the Roof"? When he was having his discussions with God and struggling with decisions, he would weigh his arguments on one hand and then on the other hand. That's what this psalm seems like. On one hand are the warm, fuzzy attributes, descriptions and statements about God:

He is our refuge and strength
a very present help in trouble
a river whose streams make glad the city of God
God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved.
God will help her when morning dawns.
Be still and know that I am God.

On the other hand, there are descriptions and images of terrible destruction, nations raging, kingdoms tottering, desolations of war -- you can get dizzy just reading this psalm! 

But what power in the words, what truth! Most of it is underlined in my Bible with different pens from the many times something has spoken to me. There's a "thank you Lord" with a date written in the margin. Psalm 46 has been a psalm of comfort, refreshing and strength because this is the reality of authentic faith in a difficult, troubled world. In the midst of fear, chaos, the bombardment of "BREAKING NEWS" bulletins that could keep us in a constant state of anxiety, we are to be still and know that I am God. No matter what happens in our world, we are in the hands of a mighty God! 

We need the difficult verses of this psalm to remind us of the power of our awesome God. We tend to forget; we like our image of God as a comfortable, manageable god. We need to remember his awesomeness, his power and sovereignty over all his creation. We need to be still in the presence of a holy God. In spite of the condition of this world, the hopelessness that can creep in when we hear devastating news, our God says "I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!" 

Keeping our eyes on the One who holds all of eternity in his hands is the answer, the remedy, to our fears and anxieties. We can stand in the midst of chaos, stand in the power and strength of God who is our refuge and strength, our very present help in trouble. 

Be still and know that I am God.

I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!