Psalm 46
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.
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.
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.
As a young boy, I was privileged to journey with my family on a day-long canoe trip. My uncle, aunt and cousin spent the day traveling along a local river in Pennsylvania canoeing, and fishing. About midday, a thunderstorm quickly overcame us, and we were forced to seek shelter on the closet riverbank under the branches of an enormous pine tree. The four of us embraced each other clinging in fear as the deluge fell upon us. The wind and the rain battered us, with the only cover being the branches of the tree above us and the warmth of each other around us. The storm quickly left just as it had arrived and with soaked clothes, but in good spirits, we continued our journey.
Just as a thunderstorm quickly arrived and battered us about with wind and rain, we find ourselves in a different storm that has arrived quickly and has battered us about with sickness and fear. But just as I took shelter under the boughs of a pine tree, we too have a place of shelter, a place of hiding. As the Psalmist sings, God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. We have a place of shelter, being hidden in Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit. We have the branches of God over us, protecting us and deflecting both fear and worry. We have someone to cling to in Jesus Christ, whose warmth and presence are a source of strength and help in our time of troubles. We might have the latest and greatest threat and trial, but in Christ we have our ever-present hiding place.
Since we have such a hiding place. the Psalmist continues, we will not fear. Because we are hidden in Christ, of what can we be afraid? Even though the earth should shake, or the mountain end up in the sea, what power exists in the world that can threaten the very God who created all these things? What power can threaten to overcome God, who brought into existence all things, sustains all things and will provide for all things? We shall not fear, because what devilish power, human scheme, or natural plague can overcome the Almighty and Creator God, who brings a dead man back to life?
If God is in our midst and over us, then we shall not be moved. For something to move something else, like say a person to move a couch, force must be applied that is greater than another force. My muscles must be stronger than gravity and friction in order to move a couch. Who or what has enough force or power to move God? More specifically who has enough force or power to move the Resurrected and Ascended Jesus Christ? He told the fever which consumed Peter’s mother-in-law to depart and it left! He told the winds to cease blowing on the lake and it stopped! He told Lazarus to rise and he did! Who has a greater force or power that can move against Christ and force him to do their bidding? None exists, because Jesus is Lord!
But it is one thing to be present, it is another entirely to be at work. Our psalm continues, it just doesn’t say that God is in our midst and cannot be moved, it also continues into Come, behold the works of the Lord; see what desolations he has brought on the earth. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire. Our hope is not just that God is in our midst and proverbially asleep or ignoring current historical events. Our God is in our midst and working against them. God is working against evil and destruction everywhere. God is actively working to bring life and light into our world. God is not absent from his post, or asleep at the wheel, or in the bathroom when we need God. God is working against conflict, against destruction, and against wickedness. If God be fighting against these things, like a virus, then I ask, who could withstand being against God?
Perhaps the whole point is then is the final phrases. During overwhelming forces and trials, we are to be still, and know that I am God! While things exist that threaten our very existence, those things are no threat to our Almighty God. Therefore, we can be still and hide in Christ, and know that God is god and the covid-19 virus is not. So, my friends, we can still do our daily tasks, work our jobs, raise our children, buy our groceries, and live our lives without fear and with hope; because through the work of the Holy Spirit we are hidden in Christ, a present help and our refuge and strength. Let us meet this trial with faith and hope in our ever-present and ever-powerful God and never fear and despair. Let us live our lives ever waiting on the Spirit of Jesus Christ and ever praying for the Spirit’s work among us and for us. Let us become a people who gratefully accept God’s work done for us and amid us. Trust and Hope not Fear and Despair. Amen.
Prayer
O God of Love and God of Power, we thank you for your ever-present love and power which covers us with a place in which we may hide and take shelter. We ask once again that you pour out a fresh supply of your Holy Spirit, that as we are once again threatened by forces beyond our ken that we may rest under your security and hope in your ever-loving arms wrapped around us. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
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