our refuge and help
God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change
And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea;
Though its waters roar and foam,
Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. Selah.
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
The holy dwelling places of the Most High.
God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved;
God will help her when morning dawns.
The nations made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered;
He raised His voice, the earth melted.
The LORD of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.
Come, behold the works of the LORD,
Who has wrought desolations in the earth.
He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth;
He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two;
He burns the chariots with fire.
"Cease striving 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 stronghold. Selah.
Psalm 46
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change
And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea;
Though its waters roar and foam,
Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. Selah.
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
The holy dwelling places of the Most High.
God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved;
God will help her when morning dawns.
The nations made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered;
He raised His voice, the earth melted.
The LORD of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.
Come, behold the works of the LORD,
Who has wrought desolations in the earth.
He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth;
He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two;
He burns the chariots with fire.
"Cease striving 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 stronghold. Selah.
Psalm 46
As I, along with all of us, watch the meltdown of the financial markets and see the value of my retirement portfolio continue its steady decline over these last two weeks, I have been meditating on Psalm 46.
The Lord shakes the earth and our own lives at various times and in different ways. Why? To expose the foundations of our trust and security. We inevitably and often unknowingly begin to put our trust in a rising stock market, a booming economy, a secure retirement, our good health, and lots of other things.
We don't always mean to put our trust in these things, we just do. The Lord shakes us so that we might be drawn back to Him. And yet so often we get angry and run away from Him when our foundations are shaken. And then, at times, we run back to Him in the hope that He's going to fix it all. Sometimes he doesn't . . . . sometimes are foundations are not just shaken, but removed.
When our kingdoms are tottering, God is there, a refuge and strength, if we will only run to Him . . . a very present help in trouble.
Have you experienced Him so?
The Lord shakes the earth and our own lives at various times and in different ways. Why? To expose the foundations of our trust and security. We inevitably and often unknowingly begin to put our trust in a rising stock market, a booming economy, a secure retirement, our good health, and lots of other things.
We don't always mean to put our trust in these things, we just do. The Lord shakes us so that we might be drawn back to Him. And yet so often we get angry and run away from Him when our foundations are shaken. And then, at times, we run back to Him in the hope that He's going to fix it all. Sometimes he doesn't . . . . sometimes are foundations are not just shaken, but removed.
When our kingdoms are tottering, God is there, a refuge and strength, if we will only run to Him . . . a very present help in trouble.
Have you experienced Him so?
2 comments:
Amen!
In our situation with Dan's layoff on November 1, we are in the waiting stage of things...we can go to Los Angeles or try and find something here. I'm waiting on Dan to get his resume' out and waiting on God to tell us what He wants of us. The following verses are a comfort for me. (But I love Psalm 46, too).
"And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised." Hebrews 6:157
"But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me." Micah 7:7
"I wait for you, O LORD; you will answer, O Lord my God." Psalm 38:15
"I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry." Psalm 4:1
And my favorite:
"In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation." Psalm 5:3
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