June 11 - Just STOP

Read Psalm 46

Context: According to my NIV Study Bible, this song was a celebration of Jerusalem's security as the city of God. It was most likely written before the exile to Babylon, but it remained a song of hope and celebration for the Israelites. This is the song that inspired Martin Luther's hymn, 'A Mighty Fortress Is Our God'.

Text:

1 God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.

2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

3 though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
Selah

4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.

5 God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.

6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

7 The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Selah

8 Come and see the works of the LORD,
the desolations he has brought on the earth.

9 He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear,
he burns the shields [b] with fire.

10 "Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth."

11 The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Selah (NIV)

Footnotes:
Psalm 46:1 Title: Probably a musical term
Psalm 46:9 Or chariots
taken from www.biblegateway.com

The beginning of this Psalm is one of those marvelous passages that almost make your heart swell...no matter how your world falls apart, God is there and he is ever present to help us. Most crises feel like the world is falling out from under us, and this gives a great word picture of God holding us in his arms like children, sweeping us up at the last possible moment as the world falls away.

At the end of the Psalm we see the very familiar, "Be still, and know that I am God." According to the Hebrew words that were originally used, this statement probably means "Enough" in the sense that we should stop what we are doing and know His power.

With two seven year old boys, this has been a familar statement in our house. They egg each other on and never seem to quit, voices and pushing escalating until one of us has to shout "Enough" or "Stop" to keep them from hurting each other (or making us crazy).

I think God does this to us, too...we worry about our crises in our minds so much that our thoughts get out of control. God has to step in and tell us, "Enough." In the busyness of our minds we lose our handle on reality and He has to remind us that He is in control and He WILL be exalted by all the Earth, regardless of what craziness we are in. I wish I would remember this before He has to shout at me to get my attention!