Praise the Lord for Friday! Tomorrow will be the ninth anniversary of 9/11. Our nation is still in the midst of turmoil and commotion. We praise the Lord for our great nation and wonderful country, under His care and under His grace all these years. Praise the Lord for all those who serve Him faithfully and honor Him with their words and deeds. I was looking in Psalm 46 this morning, which was written in the context of uncertainty and stress and fear.As we read this Psalm, it declares that "God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in time of trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the waters of sea, though its waters roar and foam, and the mountains quake with the surging."
When the world crashes in around us, God our heavenly father, who revealed in Jesus Christ our Lord, is still there, protecting us. The word "refuge" literally means to flee, as in running to a shelter. The idea is that the Lord wants us to turn to Him, and run to Him for protection. The word "strength" implies that we can fully rely on His might when we feel weak and defenseless. The phrase "ever present help" means God is quick to give us assistance and protection. Because of this, we do not have to fear. The word "trouble" can mean affliction, distress, or tribulation. Our Lord is calling us today not to live in fear because He is our refuge, strength and help. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God. God protects us when we seek refuge in Him. Fortunately, we don’t have to run far to find Him because His presence is right here with us. Verse 4 paints a picture that is easy for us to miss. First of all, the city of God is Jerusalem. While it was a very beautiful city, it had no river that ran through it like the other major cities and countries of that day. Babylon was built on the Euphrates. Egypt had the Nile. Rome had the Tiber. Jerusalem did not have a physical river but it had something even better the very presence of God.
God’s grace flows through like a river that brings gladness and joy to His people. While the ocean rages and foams, God’s presence is depicted as a calm and gently flowing stream. This image in Scripture is used to represent joy, abundance, and peace, even when everything else is falling apart.
God’s presence with His people is one of the central truths of Scripture. Verse 5 says that “God is within her” and verse 7 declares that the “Lord Almighty is with us.” This is from the root word “Immanuel,” which means “God with us” and was used in Matthew 1:23 to refer to Jesus. That means that when we put our faith in Jesus, we have “God with us” at all times.
There are no guarantees in this life for any of us. We are not safe, but we are loved — and that is our security. Frederick Buechner has written these words as though God were speaking to us: “You might never have been, but you are because the party wouldn’t have been complete without you. Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don’t be afraid. I am with you. Nothing can ever separate us. It’s for you I created the universe.” Life is not safe, but life is good. Life is good, because God is good. We can turn to him. He is with us. No matter where the journey takes us, he takes our hand and walks beside us. There is no better news. There is no greater security.
The New Living Bible puts it this way: “Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or are hungry or cold or in danger or threatened with death? . . .No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love. Death can’t, and life can’t. The angels can’t, and the demons can’t. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can’t keep God’s love away. Whether we are high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:35-39).
In Christ the Prince of Peace
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5K-3Fn74CA
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