Psalm 46
Psalm 46 is a classic
praise psalm. And like most psalms, its
opening line packs a punch. God is our
strength and our refuge. He is a very
present help in a time of trouble.
That wording got me
thinking. Why call God a “very present
help” when it would almost seem more grammatically correct to call Him simply a
“present help.” I mean, you are either
present or not present, right? Either
you are there or you are absent, right?
In Hebrew, the word used
for “very” is a word that largely means “abundantly.” In this case, the translation of “very” is
fine. But looking at the word as
abundantly brings much more richness to the text. God is not just present, He is abundantly
present. God is not just in our
presence, He is everywhere we look in our presence.
I’m writing this having
just finished up a Bible Study on Mark 8:11-21.
In this passage towards the beginning, Jesus gets pretty ticked off at
the Pharisees for demanding a sign from heaven.
{Not just any old sign mind you
... but a divinely spiritual sign!}
Jesus is largely irritated at the Pharisees because their faith is
constructed in such a way that they think God is more in the supernatural
miracles such as manna from heaven and Elijah’s calling down fire upon the
water soaked altar than He is in the normal world around them. As I taught on that passage, one of my main
points was that God can be found everywhere, not just in the sacred places we
create for Him. We need to be able to
see God everywhere we look, not just in the Holy Places that we designate as
sacred.
I think this message is
also largely applicable to that which I was speaking about earlier. God is abundantly present as a source of help
in our life. He’s everywhere! That is why it is important to think of God
as a “very present help” and not just a “present help.” God’s help comes from any direction and every
direction because He’s not just present, He’s everywhere!
Who would have thought I
could get five paragraphs of theology out of a word like “very,” eh?
Moving on in the psalm, I
love the central theme of this psalm.
God dwells in the midst of His holy habitation, and it shall not be
moved. I hear that as if it is a
supernatural law of physics. Nobody is
powerful enough to move God’s holy habitation because God is in it. The presence of God makes something
immovable.
Steady.
Rock solid.
The presence of God is
significant. The nations rage around
us. People’s opinions are a dime a dozen
– even their opinions on our life! In
America, we’re about to enter a time and a place where everyone is going to “become
an expert” on politics, foreign affairs, and the economy simply because it is
an election year. Turmoil will
abound. Yet the place or person in whom
God dwells shall not be moved. Thanks
really cool.
“Be still, and know that I
am God,” the Lord says. He breaks the
bow. He shatters the spear. So often I hear the emphasis of those lines
as being upon the nouns, but I think the real emphasis is upon the verbs. He breaks and shatters them. He makes the implements of our rage and
turmoil useless against Him. That’s
power.
Reading through this psalm,
I am really inspired to be a rock for God.
Yes, I know I will have my days of faltering. But this psalm really inspires me to be a
rock for God. I want to be someone that
is ready to be used by God to stand firm for His ways. I want to be the person that can see God
everywhere and use everything to be that teachable moment about God. I want to be that holy habitation that is
immoveable and unshakable simply because God is present inside. Who’s with me?
Psalm 47
As we move along into Psalm
47, I am equally inspired. Yes,
absolutely this is a song about praising God.
This is absolutely a song about God’s glory. Above all else, this is a psalm attributing greatness
to God.
However, the place where I
am truly inspired is in the humbling beginning of this psalm. “He chose our heritage for us.” He allowed us to know Him. He called us to be sons and daughters of God
through His Son. That’s incredibly humbling. As great as God is, He chose us to be with
Him. That thought drops me to my knees
in recognition of how undeservedly I am in His presence.
May His name be
glorified! May His name be praised! He has indeed done marvelous things! And He has seen fit to call our heritage to
be with Him! Give praise to the Lord
today!
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