Psalm 46

A Sheep’s Journey Through Psalms -46

/ taethne

A Refuge in the Storm: A Devotional on Psalm 46

Scripture: Psalm 46 (NIV)
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea…” (Psalm 46:1-2)

Reflection

Psalm 46 is a powerful reminder of God’s unshakable presence amid life’s chaos. Written in a time of crisis, possibly during a siege or natural disaster, this psalm declares God as a fortress, a place of safety, and a source of strength. Its words have inspired countless Christians to trust in God’s sovereignty, no matter the circumstances.

The psalm begins with a bold proclamation: “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” These words echo the assurance of God’s nearness. C.S. Lewis, in his reflections on suffering in The Problem of Pain, reminds us that God’s presence is not merely a distant hope but a reality that sustains us in our darkest moments. Lewis writes, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” In Psalm 46, God’s voice shouts through the storm, assuring us that He is our refuge.

The psalmist paints a vivid picture of chaos—earthquakes, mountains crumbling, waters roaring (vv. 2-3). Yet, the response is not fear but trust. Why? Because God is greater than the chaos. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who faced the horrors of Nazi persecution, found solace in this truth. In his Letters and Papers from Prison, he wrote, “I believe that God can and will bring good out of evil, even out of the greatest evil… He is my refuge.” Bonhoeffer’s faith, rooted in the same God of Psalm 46, sustained him through unimaginable trials.

The psalm’s central image, “a river whose streams make glad the city of God” (v. 4), contrasts the turbulent waters of chaos with the gentle, life-giving flow of God’s presence. Charles Spurgeon, reflected on this verse in his Treasury of David, noting, “While the raging sea of man’s fury threatens to overwhelm, the calm river of God’s grace flows on, bringing peace to His people.” This river reminds us that God’s peace is not dependent on external circumstances but flows from His eternal throne.

Finally, the psalm culminates in the famous command: “Be still, and know that I am God” (v. 10). This call to stillness is not passive resignation but an active trust in God’s sovereignty. Corrie ten Boom, a Holocaust survivor whose faith shone brightly in The Hiding Place, often quoted this verse. She said, “When we are powerless, it is a great joy to know that the Lord is our strength.” Her life testified to the truth that God’s power is made perfect in our weakness.

Application

Today, you may face your own storms—whether personal struggles, global uncertainties, or spiritual battles. Psalm 46 invites you to anchor yourself in God’s unchanging nature. Here are three ways to apply this psalm:

  1. Seek God as Your Refuge: When fear threatens, run to God in prayer. Like David, pour out your heart to the One who is your “ever-present help.”
  2. Trust in His Sovereignty: Reflect on the truth that God is exalted above all nations and circumstances (v. 10). Surrender your worries, knowing He is in control.
  3. Rest in His Peace: Take time to “be still” before God. Meditate on His promises, and let His peace, like a river, refresh your soul.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, You are our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. When the world shakes and fears arise, help us to trust in Your unshakable power. Teach us to be still and know that You are God, finding peace in Your presence. Thank You for being our fortress and our hope. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Closing Thought

As Martin Luther, inspired by Psalm 46, penned the hymn A Mighty Fortress Is Our God, he captured its essence: “A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing.” Let this truth inspire you today—God is with you, and He will never fail.

40 Days of Praise — Day 8

/ taethne

Be Thou My Vision by Mary Byrne

Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart; Naught be all else to me save that Thou art

Thou my best thought by day or by night; Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light

Be Thou my wisdom and Thou my true Word; I ever with Thee and Thou with me Lord

Thou my great Father, I thy true son; Thou in me dwelling and I with Thee one

Riches I heed not nor man’s empty praise; Thou mine inheritance now and always

Thou and Thou only, first in my heart; High King of Heaven, my treasure Thou art

High King of Heaven my victory won; May I reach heaven’s joys, bright heaven’s Sun

Head of my own heart, whatever befall; Still be my vision, O Ruler of all

A melodious tune does nothing to soften the impact of the words of this hymn. I cannot honestly say that I don’t heed riches or the praise of man as the hymn writer pens.

Each time I think that I am making progress in those areas, something happens that makes me realize they have far more of a hold on me than I imagined. For every step forward in these areas, I seem to slip back into bad practices and habits far too often.

I pray that like David, in Psalm 46, that God would grant to me an undivided heart. I understand all too well that while I love God, I also still love the things of this world way too much. I understand what Paul was struggling with when he talked about doing things he knew were wrong and not doing the things he knew was right. Only God can help us become a consistent Christian through the power of His Spirit.

If I could capture the vision of God so clearly that His light would outshine everything else, it would help me to lead a life pleasing to Him. I can capture this vision by spending more and more time in His presence. My prayer is to see Him more clearly each day.

What a joy it would be to have a single-minded devotion to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Lord, please become my vision. Help me to see you clearly in this muddled world. Grant to me an undivided heart so I may serve you with all of it.

Eve – Lessons from a Great Mother

/ taethne / 2 Comments

Eve – A Mother to be Honored

There are a lot of good examples of mothers in the Bible. In the Old Testament, we have Hannah, Ruth, Bathsheba and Jochabed, to name a few. The New Testament gives us Lois, Eunice and Elizabeth. All of them had great strengths. The two greatest mothers, in my opinion, were Mary and Eve.
Mary, of course, was picked by God to give birth to, care for and raise Jesus. She was a woman of the highest moral character under tremendous pressure. How would you like to be responsible for parenting God’s Son? She did an outstanding job and we talk about her a lot, especially around Christmas time.
Eve, though, she was the very first mother. There was no one to teach her how to be a mom. From pregnancy to childbirth she had no idea what to expect. It had never happened before. Holding her first baby – she had no help, no frame of reference, no example to follow. She had never been a baby, a child, a teen so she couldn’t even begin to know what to expect. She had to figure it out all by herself.
She was the first mother to experience the joy of seeing her children grow, of learning how to crawl, walk, talk and run. Eve was also the first mother to see the consequences of her actions play out. She was the first to experience the heartbreak of seeing a child reject the faith and rebel. Some of you reading this have known that pain. Some of you have children or grandchildren or siblings who have walked away from God,
Eve was the first to experience the pain of losing a child. Some of you may have also experienced this. Mother’s Day is hard for many people as they remember those children who have died and many times the church has been insensitive to your pain. Stillbirths, miscarriages, infant deaths, deaths of children at any age – whether by accident, disease or even abortion weigh heavily on the heart. We expect, as parents, to die first. We don’t expect to have to bury our children. Eve had to bury Abel and live with the knowledge that another of her children, Cain, had murdered him.
Eve was also the first to see her children marry and leave home. She was the first to experience the excitement of grandchildren. She was also the first to lose her home. She lost Eden, a paradise. Some of you may have lost homes, through tornadoes, fire, divorce, bankruptcy or job loss. It is not easy picking up and starting over.
Can you imagine Eve’s life? Only Adam with her. No girlfriends, no mother – not until her own daughters grew to adulthood would she have another female adult to talk with. Can you imagine how lonely she must have been in those early years? These are some of the reasons I vote her as the greatest mother of all time.
But what does that mean for us now, in 2017? Well, let’s think for a moment. Who taught Eve how to be a good mother? Who was there for her, to tell her what to expect, what to do? God, Himself, was her resource. God was her first resource and all the resource she needed.
That is a big lesson for today. God is always enough. When he is all you have you come to realize that He is all you need. There is nothing He doesn’t know, no question He cannot answer. There is no problem, no situation that He is not willing and able to help with. Do your kids have you at wit’s end? Call on Him. Are you not sure what is going to happen next? Call on Him. Think you cannot go one, that there is no way out? Call on Him. He is more than enough.
The stories of the Bible are true stories written for our example. They are there for us to learn life lessons. The story of Adam and Eve reveals to us real people in real situations. They were the first to encounter things we take for granted today. They had each other and God. That was all. That was enough.
So many times, we feel as if no one understands what we are going through. We feel that our problems are bigger than anyone else’s problems. We feel alone, vulnerable and overwhelmed. By reading the Scriptures, we see people who faced the same problems and we find a God who meets their needs and helps them overcome their problems.
We fail, many times, to see God as a God who is present with us at all times. He walks with us, offering us His wisdom, strength and knowledge. He cares if a baby is colicky and cries night after night, keeping us awake. He cares if a child is pushing our buttons, or if a spouse is bitter and angry. He cares when we feel lonely even among a group of people.
God had to teach Adam and Eve how to parent. They didn’t learn it from a book. They didn’t have parents to teach them. They didn’t learn it from watching monkeys or cows. God taught them. That is how involved He is with us. He is never too busy. He wants us to communicate with Him. You will not bother Him by asking for help. He is willing and able. The God of the Bible is always helping us – even with the smallest things. He makes ax heads float so aa person can return a borrowed tool. He turns water into wine at a wedding reception so a young couple will not be embarrassed. To know that God is with us and that He cares is an anchor for our life that holds us fast. When Jesus says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you”, it is not just words, it is reality.
Psalm 46:1 says “Our God is an ever-present help in times of trouble.” No place is without God. He is there at our celebrations, the births, weddings, holidays, birthdays and reunions. He is there at times of sadness, in hospitals, at funerals, battlegrounds and prisons. He is there in the normal, boring, mundane days. He is with you today, wherever you are. His Spirit is moving to and fro, softening hearts, bringing understanding of His Word to us.
We need to come to understand God as Eve did. She understood He was her ultimate resource. She had to lean on Him in every aspect of her life. If she wanted to know how to be the best person she could be, how to be a great spouse, how to be a great parent, how to do anything – she had to go to God and seek His help, His wisdom, His leadership. So, too, do we need to be that dependent upon God. You may pick another woman from the Bible to nominate for the greatest mother but in my book Eve is the one. May we all learn from her example.

UNSPECIFIED – NOVEMBER 10: The Book of Genesis: the creation of Eve from Adam’s rib, miniature from the Bible of Souvigny, Latin manuscript 1 folio 4 verso, 12th Century. (Photo by DeAgostini/Getty Images)