Therefore we will not fear…
Two weeks ago, I told you how I started the Psalms in my yearly bible reading plan. As I read a few Psalms every morning, I find myself being drawn into them as they have a unique way of speaking into my life.
Today I opened my bible reading app, and the first Psalm for today was one that I think we all need to hear, and to know, and to have rooted deep in our hearts – especially, as we’re talking about on Sundays, for life’s difficult journeys: Psalm 46. Look at how it begins:
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.
This Psalm was not yet written as the Israelites were following God through the wilderness, but it could certainly rise out of the lessons that were so painfully (and reluctantly!) learned there:
God is with us, present to help in our trouble. He is our refuge and our strength.
I want to keep this week’s Central thoughts brief so that you can take this in, let it sink in, and let it take root in your heart and mind. When there are good reasons to fear, when big things might be changing around you, when it seems like the earth and mountains beneath your feet are shaking and the ground upon which you stand no longer feels stable – you need not fear, because God is with you, because God is your refuge, because – even though you might not have the strength to face the giants – God is your strength.
May we know this always, especially in life’s difficult journeys.