summer in the psalms

Come, behold the works of the Lord, how He has brought desolations on the earth.

Psalm 46:8 (ESV)

When Trouble Comes: Behold

Psalm 46 is all about how we handle fear. Most of us have heard of common fears or “phobias” such as the fear of heights, or the fear of darkness. But have you heard of …Arachibutyrophobia – Fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of the mouth; Bolshephobia – Fear of Bolsheviks; Bromidrosiphobia – Fear of body smells; Coulrophobia – Fear of clowns; Hippo-poto-monstroses-quip-pedalio-phobia – Fear of long words; and Homilophobia – Fear of sermons.

Psalm 46 has been called Martin Luther’s Psalm. It was that which he was accustomed to sing in trouble. When the times were dark; when the enemies of truth appeared to triumph; when disaster seemed to come over the cause in which he was engaged, and the friends of the Reformation were dispirited, disheartened, and sad, he was accustomed to say to his fellow-laborers, “Come, let us sing the 46th Psalm.” (Albert Barnes)

The psalmist invites us in Psalm 46:8 to “behold the works of the Lord.” He invited his hearers to find comfort in surveying God’s past ability to save those who put their trust in Him. The word “desolations” might refer to any “ruin” or “overthrow,” which God had brought upon the enemies of Israel over time. Nothing could furnish a clearer proof of the power of God to save, and of the reasonableness of putting faith in Him in times of national danger than His consistent victories.

Reflection

Perhaps you have heard the expression, “a sight to behold” as a way of describing a beautiful work of art or an amazing feat. That’s how the psalmist felt about the works of God. What are some of the most amazing things you’ve seen God do in your life?

Praise

Jeremiah 33:3 says, “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” Call out to God and ask Him to do amazing things in your life.

Be still, and know that I am God.

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

Psalm 46:10 (ESV)

When Trouble Comes: Be Still

Some time ago, a newspaper in Tacoma, Washington, carried the story of Tattoo, the basset hound. Tattoo didn’t intend to go for an evening run, but when his owner shut his leash in the car door and took off with Tattoo still outside the vehicle, he had no choice. A motorcycle officer named Terry Filbert noticed a passing vehicle with something that appeared to be dragging behind it. As he passed the vehicle, he saw the object was a basset hound on a leash. “He was picking them up and putting them down as fast as he could,” said Filbert. He chased the car to a stop, and Tattoo was rescued, but not before the dog reached a speed of twenty to twenty-five miles per hour, and rolled over several times. (Tattoo was fine but asked not to go out for an evening walk for a long time.) (John Ortberg. Leadership) 

Many of us know the feeling of doing the best we can to keep up with life and work through troubles. In Psalm 46:10, the psalmist tells us to “Be Still.” Be still means to let hang down or to be relaxed, especially the hands. It could also mean to take your hands off of something.  The overall idea is leaving matters with God. In verses 8-9, the psalmist calls his reader to behold the work of the Lord in the past. And it was in this context that God Himself now steps in and calls for His people to consider His help for the future. Just as He has proven Himself in the trials of the past, so He will do in the trials to come.

 Reflection

So often we want to manipulate and control. God says trust Me. Oswald Chambers wrote, “Our greatest fear is not that we will be damned, but that somehow Jesus Christ will be defeated. Also, our fear is that the very things our Lord stood for— love, justice, forgiveness, and kindness among men— will not win out in the end and will represent an unattainable goal for us. (Oswald Chambers) When is it most difficult for you to be still and trust God?

Praise

Ask God to grow your peace in the middle of your storms. Thank Him for the gift of spiritual rest.

Be still, and know that I am God.

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

Psalm 46:10 (ESV)

 When Trouble Comes: Know

A mother was startled to find her young daughter going through a new Bible storybook and circling the word “God” wherever it appeared on the page. Stifling her urge to reprimand the child for defacing the book, the mother quietly asked, “Why are you doing that?” The little girl answered matter-of-factly, “So that I will know where to find God when I need Him.”

God has always wanted His people to know Him and know where to find Him. “Know” in Psalm 46:10 means “to properly ascertain by seeing” and “acknowledge, be aware.” God wants us to see what He has done and the evidence that He is God. These are things which no one “but” God could do.(Isaiah 37:36) God is omniscient (all-knowing), omnipresent (present everywhere), omnipotent (all-powerful), holy, sovereign, faithful, infinite, and good. Acknowledging God implies that we can trust Him and surrender to His plan because we understand who He is.

Reflection

How does knowing who God is impact our ability to be still?

Praise

Romans 1:20 teaches, “For His invisible attributes, namely, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.” Praise God for the things we can learn about Him simply from Creation.

Be still, and know that I am God.

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

Psalm 46:10 (ESV)

When Trouble Comes: Exalt Him

In Hermann Melville’s “Moby Dick” there is a violent, turbulent scene in which a whale boat scuds across a frothing ocean in pursuit of the great white whale, Moby Dick. The sailors are laboring fiercely, every muscle is taut, all attention and energy is concentrated on the task. The cosmic conflict between good and evil is joined: the chaotic sea and demonic sea monster versus the morally outraged man, Captain Ahab. In this boat there is one man who does nothing. He does not hold an oar; he does not perspire; he does not shout. This man is the harpooner, quiet and poised, waiting. And then this sentence: “To insure the greatest efficiency in the dart, the harpooners of this world must start to their feet out of idleness, and not from out of toil.” (The Harpooner’s Calm,” by Eugene H. Peterson)

The psalmist has this same quiet confidence when God leads Him to write, “Be Still and know that I am God and I will be exalted among the nations.” It was tempting for the nation of Israel to align with foreign powers, and God reminds them that ultimately He is exalted! God wins, and He will bring peace. During Isaiah’s time, Judah looked for help from the Egyptians, even though God warned against it. Judah did not need Egyptian might; they needed reliance on the Lord: “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength” (Isaiah 30:15).

Reflection

God assured us in Philippians 2:10-11 that “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” One day, everyone will acknowledge that God is King. So when trouble comes, just go ahead and exalt God because He will win the victory.

Praise

Confess God as bigger than any world power that exists. Confess God’s as bigger than any trouble you may face.

The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Psalm 46:11 (ESV)

When Trouble Comes: Be Comforted

Reed Lessing tells the story of a Native American ritual for training young braves: “On the night of a boy’s thirteenth birthday, he was placed in a dense forest to spend the entire night alone. Until then he had never been away from the security of his family and tribe. But on this night he was blindfolded and taken miles away. When he took off the blindfold, he was in the middle of thick woods. By himself. All night long. Terrifying! How out of his element the young brave must have felt. How very un-BRAVE, in fact.

Every time a twig snapped, he probably visualized a wild animal ready to pounce. Every time an animal howled, he imagined a wolf leaping out of the darkness. Every time the wind blew, he wondered what more sinister sound it masked. No doubt it was a terrifying night for many.

After what must have seemed like an eternity, the first rays of sunlight entered the interior of the forest. Looking around, the boy saw flowers, trees, and the outline of the path. Then, to his utter astonishment, he beheld the figure of a man standing just a few feet away, armed with a bow and arrow. It was the boy’s father. He had been there all night long.

 Psalm 46:11 is the conclusion of the whole and reminds us that “The Lord of host is with us.” We need to think of this as an argument from the greater to the lesser. All of psalm 46 has laid out an amazing case of God’s overcoming and sustaining power. We’re to remember that Jesus Christ will win in the end, and will rule over the kingdoms of this earth as King of kings and Lord of lords. And we are to remember that God is with us.

Reflection

Romans 8:31 reminds us, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” None of your troubles are bigger than God. And God is walking with you through them. He has defeated even greater enemies than the ones you face.

Praise

Thank God for the promise of ultimate victory in eternity. Thank Him for His comforting presence today.