Psalm
46 reminds me of a recent list I saw of most
common fears among people.
This was not some trendy list of new obscure phobias, but the
universal fears of man. It included fear of sickness, death,
insufficient finances, loneliness and uncertainty about the future.
In our society today we spend billions on medication and
psychological counseling to help us cope with the natural state of
mankind. Fear gives us hesitation, motivation and the desire to
avoid danger. Fear gives us a lifelong pursuit of security. I don’t
suggest that some severe, life-altering fear exist, only that the
Psalmist offers a superior starting place. “God
is our refuge and strength,
an
ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore
we will not fear.”
The first step is to correct our orientation with God. God loves
you more than you can possibly understand. He desires a personal
relationship and He created a way for salvation and perfect
forgiveness. The storms of life will come “Though
its waters roar…and the mountains quake“,
but we do not have to face them alone. He continues, “There
is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place
where the Most High dwells“.
Unity with God begins with His Holy Spirit. Jesus told the crowd
searching for the truth, “Whoever
believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water
will flow from within him.” By this He meant the Spirit, whom
those who believed in Him were later to receive”
(John 7:38). Don’t miss the only requirement, first we have to
believe His promise. “He
is the Christ“,
the one and only redeemer of man.
The
psalm explains that God is in control of all things, “Nations
are in uproar, kingdoms fall… The Lord Almighty is with us… our
fortress… He makes wars cease… Come and see the works of the
Lord“.
He concludes we need do only one thing, “Be
still, and know that I am God“.
He ends by repeating for emphasis, “The
Lord Almighty is with us“.
God is not with us because He supports our cause, God is with us
when we align our life with Him.
Psalm
47 describes the results of aligning our life beneath the authority
of God. “Clap
your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy.”
I really don’t know how many people have experienced real joy.
This is different from temporary pleasure or momentary happiness.
This kind of joy comes from the certainty that God has accepted you
as His own. He shouts, “How
awesome is the Lord Most High,
the
great King
over
all the earth!“.
God knows exactly what we need today, tomorrow and in eternity. The
psalmist notes, “He
chose our inheritance for us“.
The psalm exhorts us to express our appreciation by publicly
acknowledging God as our personal Lord, “Sing
praises to God,
sing
praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises. For God is the King
of all the earth.”
You might be a fan of a celebrity, or athlete or even a politician,
but the psalm points out that all are under the authority of God.
“God
reigns over the nations… The nobles of the nations assemble… for
the kings of the earth belong to God; He is greatly exalted.”
We have a choice to live with fear, or live with Joy. Jesus asked
His disciples a question that each of us must answer in Matthew
16:16. “Who
do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Christ,
the Son of the living God’.”
I say with unrestrained joy, I AGREE.