WATCHWORD:
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 break of day. 6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. 7 The Lord Almighty 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 He says, “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. Psalm 46
Meditation:
Psalm 46
Martin Luther had a great saying about Psalm 46 when he was in great distress. He said, “Let us sing the forty-sixth psalm in concert; and then let the devil do his worst.”
Look at the passage, Psalm 46, broken into four pieces, and each piece has a familiar ring to it, on its own. We probably have heard homilies or sermons on each one of those parts.
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Ding a’ling, heard that before, a call for confidence and security, in the Lord. Here the poet begins with God’s provision. He looked to God for help in difficult times and found it. He will not fear, even as he faced difficulties in his life that seemed overwhelming.
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. Now there is a verse that really preaches. Streams of living water making glad, even joyful, all those who worship the one true God.
This Psalm was written by Isaiah at a time when Jerusalem was being threatened by the King of Babylon. The image of a river as a constant source and provision is significant because Jerusalem does not have such a river, as noted in a recent Watchword. The City of God is glad because life-giving water, the Word and the presence of the Lord is always present, protecting against the evil that surrounds. “Let the devil do his worst”, well spoken, Marty.
“Come and see what the Lord has done.” You can almost imagine this passage as part of a conversation between Andrew and Jesus. John the Baptist has just pointed Andrew to the Lord, and said, follow Him. Then they go with Jesus to his home and saw what the Lord has done, indeed. He had built the house where He was staying.
However, this book and each passage was written by Isaiah more than 500 years before Jesus speaks to Andrew. More to the point, this is a call to consider all that God has made, and to consider what the wrath of God laid waste in death and destruction.
“Be still, and know that I am God” is a passage that we must embrace. This is not a request to stay calm and confident, it is a command. When God cannot be found in the midst of the frenzy of life, silence and stillness are needed to hear Him, so that His children may “know” He is present and has a plan for the future.
“Be still, and know that I am God”: Twin commands to not panic and to recognize His sovereignty are probably directed to both His people for comfort and all others for warning.
Matthew Henry tells us that this Psalm encourages us to hope and trust in God, and his power, and providence, and His gracious presence with His church in the worst of times, and directs us to give Him the glory for what he has done for us and what he will do. Amen.
Bulletin Board:
NOTE: Beginning tomorrow, Wednesday, we will have brief Lenten devotionals each Wednesday during the season, concluding on Easter Sunday. While these will be coming under the heading and distribution of WATCHWORDS, these devotionals will be brief with a “Consider This” series of thought questions for you to consider instead of a Meditation. Thanks and gratitude to St. Andrew UMC for some of the content. Our regular schedule of five WATCHWORDS each week will resume after Easter. Stan Escott
Closing Prayer:
Faithful and present God, you are not blind to the storms that rage in this world, the illness that threatens. Some are visible to the eye, but others are hidden in our heart. Lord, bring your refuge and healing strength. Make me still in your safety.
When what seems permanent begins to crumble, when devastation ravages the earth, when powers that be claim your authority – let us remember the joy you have set before us. Lord, help us to let go of fear and doubt. Make us still in your waters of gladness.
God, Creator of time, we hurry from task to task, from crisis to crisis, carrying the weight of the world. Or in this new season of quarantine, we let time pass without meaning. But the world is yours, and everything in it. Let us lay down both what keeps us too busy to be still and stillness that is void before you so that we may lift our eyes to your glory. Lord, we come into your presence. Make us still in you. Amen.
