A Psalm 46 Meditation

I lost a battle for earthly justice this week. Maybe I’ll talk about on here sometime, but for now, I’m just feeling my limitations. I’m feeling how little control I have in this life. Ughhhh it’s hard, right? I’m not the only one?

Well, in the face of my powerlessness, I did one thing that was in my power, and I opened my Bible and meditated on a few verses in Psalm 46. Now, I’m no Bible expert, and I’m sure there’s more to this passage than what I journaled about. But this is what the Holy Spirit very clearly spoke over my soul this week, and I think I’m meant to share it with you too.

1. When I picture a refuge, two images come to mind: a fortified shelter strong enough to withstand danger, and a cozy, warm bed at home. Somehow God is both. He is the safe place you run to when bombs are going off or tornadoes are ripping through your town. And He’s a soft duvet and a cup of tea after a long, hard day. He is both a mighty bastion of protection and a gentle counselor, eager to listen to our troubles and offer comfort. How beautiful is that? Only our God can somehow be that strong and that tender simultaneously.

2. So much of what I grieve comes from, like I said, my limitations. I can’t change people. I can’t speed up healing. I can’t control the future. I can’t outrun the Fall. But in every way we are limited, our King is not. He makes a fool out of every possible human limitation, including death! Including the enemy of our souls! Which also means the pressure is off us to try to be unlimited. To fight for control. To be “strong enough.” Freedom is found when we embrace our human limitations and allow God to be God. He is strong when we are weak, and MAN, that is never not good news.

3. Okay, this might be my favorite part: why did the psalmist describe God as a “very present” help? Think of all the words he could have used here: He’s a sovereign help, an almighty help, a trustworthy help. But his emphasis is on our God, getting down on His hands and knees, and meeting His children in their pain. At any given moment in your day, God’s proximity to you is in front of you and behind you and inside you and all around you. Like, what?? And think about this! Psalm 46 was written way before Jesus! Before the Holy Spirit became our indwelling Helper! Our God, from the beginning of time, has always been moving heaven and earth to draw closer to us. To tear that veil. He is our real and tangible and closer-than-our-breath help. Abandoning His children is an utter impossibility.

4. I love a good ‘Therefore’ in the Bible. I’m just gonna start screaming it out when the enemy tries to whisper lies! When this life knocks me to my knees! ‘Therefore’ is a worship song, a declaration, a calling up of our souls to what has always been true. It is saying, “Look back! Do you remember who God is? Do you know how He fights for you? How passionately He loves you?” When you feel defeated, seek out a ‘therefore’ in the Word, in your community, and in your own life. Proclaim how He faithfully carried you through past painful seasons, and cling to the truth that He is the same God today that He has always been. Oh my soul, believe it to be true!

5. I struggle with the whole ‘not being afraid’ thing. “Do not fear” is the most frequent command in the Bible, and yet I often find myself confused as to how to integrate it with my lived experience. Is God asking me to lie to myself? To tell my body, “stop keeping the score already and just trust the Lord”? Nope, I don’t think so. Shame doesn’t move us towards deeper faith. So here’s my takeaway: A Christian’s lack of fear is not foolish or ignorant. It is not a spiritual bypass of very real pain. I believe we are called to hold the tension. Life on this side of heaven can often be scary—AND (not ‘but’) our Father is near to us and will not leave our side. We are commanded not to fear so frequently because fear is a constant companion in our post-Fall humanity. So what do we do with it? We go back and read about our refuge and strength. We cling to the “therefore,” proclaiming who God is and always has been. And then we move bravely towards the hard thing, knowing we don’t face it alone. Our lack of fear is informed by the withness of our Savior.

6. Okay, take a minute. Can you imagine if even one of these things happened before your eyes? Think of the violence tsunamis, earthquakes, and hurricanes have wreaked upon the earth over the course of human history. Think of how hard they are to survive.

What a loss of safety. What a shaking of reality.

So to say the words, “we will not fear though the earth gives way”—that is a serious declaration. How can a Christian honestly trust God in the face of such peril? Well, here is where we call up our souls the most: whatever loss you grieve, whatever battle you lose—in the middle of any joy or pain you could ever experience on this earth—the truer reality (the truest reality) is I AM WHO I AM is on His throne. Creator and Defender Yahweh reigns over every single atom and organism and ecosystem. Every laugh and tear and weary heart. Everything that has ever been and ever will be. He reigns above it all and His sovereignty is unshakable. That, dear friends, is our hope. So as you work and play and grieve and rejoice on this side of heaven, hold fast to your refuge and strength. He will prove Himself time and again to be worth trusting.

Thanks for meditating on these truths with me!

We believe, Lord. Help our unbelief.