Yesterday I was reading in Psalm 46 in my quiet time (def: time alone with God in prayer and in the Word, preferably daily).
This psalm starts off with a verse we often teach our children: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” I think it’s a great verse to apply personally, since it reminds us that we can cry out to Him in times of personal need and He will be with us and help us.
However, yesterday as I was reading the whole psalm, I was impressed that in context the psalm is really talking about nations.
I don’t know about you, but I get pretty concerned when I look at the direction “the nations” are going these days. The nightly news is always bad. There are drug cartels, terrorists (last night on the news they said there are twice as many terrorist groups as there were 10 years ago)—well, suffice it to say that evil seems to be running rampant. And it’s not just in one or two nations; it’s worldwide!
Verse 2 goes on, “Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea. . . .” Okay, so it’s not that bad, yet. So I shouldn’t be afraid.
Someone once told me that when you worry, think of the worst thing that can happen and what that would lead to. Okay, in this case, I worry that we are going to destroy ourselves, and that’s bad. In biblical terms, maybe we’re rushing headlong toward the end times. And that’s scary. But the end times would mean that Jesus is coming back. And that’s good!
Verse 9 says that God “makes wars to cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariot in the fire.” Yeah!
And then in verse 10 God says, “Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”
Wow! I really look forward to the time when God will be worshiped around the whole earth! But in the meantime, I am to be still, knowing that He is God and that all of this is still under His control.
As I’ve heard said, we don’t know what the future holds, but we know Who holds the future! Praise Him!
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