Psalm 46 God Is Our Refuge And Strength

Psalm 46:1

46 

God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear,
Even though the earth be removed,
And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
3 Though its waters roar and be troubled,
Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah

(Psalm 46:1-3 NKJV)

What truly wonderful and powerful these verses are to hold on to when troubles strike. We all live in a fallen world which guarantees we all will face many challenges in life. Some of these will be quite difficult. The question we must ask of ourselves is: "Do I go through this with God, or apart from Him." One may rely on God's strength and wisdom in going through this thing or their own. Here is where faith comes in, "Do I believe God?" Remember Romans 8:28, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose."Just something to think about.

"These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 NKJV)

Precious Treasure

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I rejoice at Your word

As one who finds great treasure.

(Psalm 119:162 NKJV)

The NIV uses phrases the above passage this way: "I rejoice in your promise..." God's Word is truth and full of promises, which is a great treasure. God promises to never leave us or forsake us. When we come to faith in Christ Jesus, we have eternal life. No matter how difficult things may become here on earth, God is always with us. Nothing can separate us form the love of Christ. Grab a hold of this truth of Scripture and never let go. Immerse yourself in His Word, for it is precious to our souls and a lamp unto our feet. It is an everlasting treasure to behold. His Word contains the keys to the kingdom of heaven and everlasting joy. People go through life seeking treasure of some sort, but everything this world has to offer is only temporary. I could find a buried treasure worth millions and rejoice for a moment. However, this treasure has wings, which will fly away. (See Proverbs 23:5) The question is not if, but when will it fly away. While I may believe this earthly treasure will solve all my problems, it may also be a source of misery, leading me to wish I never found it. Use the resources God has given you wisely, but hold His Word dear to your heart, for it a precious treasure to behold.

Great peace have those who love Your law,

And nothing causes them to stumble.

(Psalm 119:165 NKJV)

Psalm 1

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The Way of the Righteous and the End of the Ungodly

 

1 Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
    Nor stands in the path of sinners,
    Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
² But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
    And in His law he meditates day and night.
³ He shall be like a tree
    Planted by the rivers of water,
    That brings forth its fruit in its season,
    Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.

⁴ The ungodly are not so,
But are like the chaff which the wind drives away.
⁵ Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

⁶ For the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the ungodly shall perish.

(Psalm 1:1-6 NKJV)

I love the way the book of Psalms starts out, it pretty much sums everything up, doesn’t it? It all boils down to either following the way of God, or the way of the world. I believe the key word in this Psalm is “delight.” What is it that one chooses to delight in? 

I remember a year or so ago talking with someone who was not a Christian. This woman was being tossed to and fro by the world, not knowing which way to go. I told her to go pick up the Bible and read Psalm 1, it has all your answers. But “oh no,” she said. “No way am I reading that.” I said, “It will not even take a minute to read, and it has all your answers.” But no way she would pick up the Bible and just read this little bit. 

When we delight in the things of God, the Christian life is not a burden filled with a whole lot of religious rituals to perform, but an awesome walk with God. We go to bed at night knowing, as the song goes, “all is well with my soul,” and today my life counted for something of eternal value. Lord, help me and all my readers to “delight” in your Word and all things of God that we may grow stronger and stronger and bear much fruit for your namesake.

No Hiding From God

Psalm 139:7-12

Where can I go from Your Spirit?

Or where can I flee from Your presence?

If I ascend into heaven, You are there;

If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.

If I take the wings of the morning,

And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

Even there Your hand shall lead me,

And Your right hand shall hold me.

If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,”

Even the night shall be light about me;

Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You,

But the night shines as the day;

The darkness and the light are both alike to You.

It is impossible to hide from God, yet I see many people trying to do just that. People think they can make God go away by denying His existence or by creating a god to their own liking. The fallacy which states “all roads lead to heaven” is denying the truth, and you cannot hide from God behind it. Wherever you are, God is there also. He is either your Lord and Savior or Judge. The awesome thing, God wants to lead people out of darkness (sin and death) and into the light (salvation through Jesus Christ). Also see: John 14:6 and 1 John 1:5-7

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God's Mercy

For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;

as far as the east is from the west,

so far does he remove our transgressions from us.

As a father shows compassion to his children,

so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him.

Psa 103:11-13 ESV

I remember before I was saved, there was a time when I had not a care in the world what so ever about God’s opinion on anything. This is an example of the lack of fear of God. How can one come to understand the mercy of God without a fear of God? The cross of Jesus does not make any sense. Why would God send His only Son to die on the cross if there was nothing to fear because our sin had no eternal consequences?

Now suppose your job was an electrician. You need not be afraid of electricity, but you do need to have a fear of it. You must respect it and know the rules to perform your job. If you thought you were bigger than the electricity and did not care about the “rules” in working with it, the ending is not going to be good, now is it.

Now suppose once again you are a child whose parents love you very much, they show great compassion for you and are deeply concerned about your welfare. All in all you are obedient to them. Every once in a while you blow it; they show you love and mercy because they understand you are not going to be perfect. Every now and again they must discipline you because of your disobedience. This discipline teaches you respect. The fear of their discipline hopefully will keep you from doing wrong, at least most of the time. If you respect them and understand they know what is best, you know they have your best interests in mind. Now one day you broke the rules, got seriously injured and you are going to die. Your father would say, “If I could, I would step in and take your place.”

The good news is Jesus did step in to take our place. He died for us and now God remembers our transgressions no more. He casts them “as far as east if from the west.” This is God’s compassion and His mercy. There is no one else who is able to step in for us. Every one of us has broken the “rules” which lead to death. Jesus will step in, but we must not reject it. Click here if you like more information on receiving God’s mercy.



Photographer: Arvind Balaraman www.freedigitalphotos.net