Psalm 46 is one of the most referenced chapters in the book Psalms when any notion or experience of suffering, trial, or hardship is in view. Surely, it’s popular because it speaks clearly of God’s steadfast character in a wavering and unclear world, and declares comfort for the ever-changing and harsh ‘whats’ with an emphasis of a never-changing and loving ‘Who’.
If you’re a Christian, you’ve likely heard or read this passage seemingly countless times. In fact, I happened to read it again this week, and when I did so, I noticed some notes I had jotted down from back in 2011 that I wanted to more fully elaborate upon and then share in this blog. I’ve copied the text below and then have written some thoughts in response.
Here’s Psalm 46:
1 God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy habitation of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;
God will help her when morning dawns.
6 The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
he utters his voice, the earth melts.
7 The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
8 Come, behold the works of the Lord,
how he has brought desolations on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the chariots 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 of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
One thing that particularly strikes me in this passage is verse 1, which promises that God is very near to us, being a “very present help in trouble”. Initially, many of us think of God’s presence as this ‘ethereal essence’ or ‘spiritual zone’ we enter into when we have mustered up the right amount of emotion after listening to some hype worship music. Or we think of God’s presence as a feeling we get after we have done a good job of taking steps toward God.
But this verse completely shatters those preconceived notions into a thousand pieces. This verse, in fact, says just the opposite! It explains that God’s presence is just as near and pervasive when we are at the end of our rope and life is at it’s worst as much as when we are ‘in the spiritual zone’ or on that ‘spiritual high’! To be sure, God’s presence is not a changing feeling, but an unchanging truth. God’s presence is not gained by our righteous deeds towards God, but is given because of Christ’s perfect righteousness credited to us by grace. His presence is fundamentally about being in a relationship with God that is positional—not transactional. In Christ, you have been adopted as a child of God brought near to himself—and that cannot be changed. His presence is not transactional where you ‘do for God’ or ‘get right with God’, and in exchange, he will ‘be near to you’ or ‘bless you’. In Christ, your positional nearness to God is not based off the two-to-three steps you make towards God every day, but is based on the trillions of steps Jesus made towards you through his coming to earth, perfect life, and death on the cross in your place. Thus, your boast about being in his presence can only and ever be credited to His work—not yours. Indeed, this makes sense, because God has always been committed to leveling the playing field among all people and destroying the sin of our pride and self-sufficiency, making us humble and dependent on him.
One important caveat: sometimes you can feel his presence, but that does not necessarily mean that the truth of his presence and love is only there when it is felt. In fact, a majority of times, you won’t feel that presence. For example, let’s say a daughter has the complete love of her father. But sometimes, the daughter might feel the truth of that love more so when the father sweeps her off feet, spins her around, and gives her a big hug. But nevertheless, the truth of that love is always there. Sometimes she feels it, but all the time she knows it. Be sure to never define the facts by your feelings. Rather, you should place the facts at the forefront, believe it by faith, and let your feelings respond accordingly. In other words, feelings should respond to the facts, but should never define them. Facts should influence feelings, but never the other way around.
Furthermore, in the following verses, the text significantly connects God’s sense of “very present nearness” to us with his incredible greatness, power, and love. Though the biggest mountains give way and the earth falls apart, we still have no reason to fear because he is very near, very present, very powerful, and very loving. Even if the most seemingly sturdy, unmovable things in our lives fail us, crumble beneath us, or break apart, we can be assured of one truer anchor for the soul—God’s love for us in Christ. I love how Hebrews 6:19-20 relates to this verse; it says, “We have [God’s promises] as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.” To briefly exegete these two verses, “a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain” essentially means that our hope is based on the certainty of God himself, his holy and unchanging character, and his presence, which Jesus proved and accomplished for us in his perfect life and substitionary death as the perfect mediator (or priest) between us and God.1
So, practically, what are those things in your life that seem like unmovable mountains that you think will not fail you? Money? Health? Status? Security? Family? None of these are sinful—in fact, they are all blessings—however, they were never meant to support the weight of your soul, and if your soul leans on them completely, then they will completely fail you, unforgivingly. They are good blessings, but terrible gods. “Though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the sea”—whether that be a lost job, health problem, economic crash, passing family member—there is only one steadfast, eternal hope for the soul, and that is God himself.
Moreover, the text says that God makes wars cease, “even to the end of the earth”, and he can break any bow, shatter any spear, and burn any and all chariots. These allusions might seem ancient and irrelevant, but they are significant because these were the strongest weapons of warfare in the times that Psalms was written—they were the strongest instruments and vessels of conflict and infliction. And God boasts of being above it. Everything that is above your head is still under God’s feet. He’s in control and in power.
Overall, God is saying to those in Christ that there is no need to fear—in fact, it is illogical to worry in light of his greatness and great love for us. Through any hardship, we can “be still and know” that he is God and that he is constantly “with us”—in Christ, positionally, and because of that, in crisis, personally.
Even in our greatest trial—our separation from God and everything truly good—God has victoriously reconciled and redeemed us back to himself through Jesus, who lived the righteous life we should have lived and died the death we should have died, taking our sentence of justice and giving us his reward of right standing with God as a gift of grace. If He is able and willing in love to meet our greatest spiritual needs when we were his enemies, what makes us think He is not able, or does not want to help us in any other need, which is significantly less weighty than our redemption, now that we are his beloved children?
Therefore, let’s rest in His love, the assurance and abundance of His grace, will, and strength, knowing that “He is God”.
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Footnotes
- The historical allusion to the high priest of Melchizedek highlights that Jesus is the perfect priest/king figure for all peoples under the promise God gave to Abraham in Genesis for bringing salvation to the world through his lineage.
