In view of the third Covid wave which is reaching our shores here in South Africa and in view of the tiredness and discouragement that many are experiencing, I'm interrupting the Exodus series for a little while to spend some time on a bunch of passages that just put things in perspective for us in these crazy times.
Hope it's meaningful and grounding!
Blessings and Love,
Theo
When everything is being SHAKEN
Not the Psalmist! He has experienced trouble:
Foundation-shaking,
mountain-sinking
and wave-swamping trouble.
He has experienced the dark night of the soul, the panic of nations in uproar and the horrors of war and yet he is completely convinced that God will see him through.
This trouble has not overwhelmed him. His faith is in God. His strength comes from above. If we read the whole psalm we find the psalmist recognising the following Divine Attributes:
- God is a Refuge and Fortress: When the storms rage, we can find peace.
- God is our Strength: We don't have to face the troubles on our own.
- God has a plan and a promise: In the Psalm this is Jerusalem, maybe in our context it is the Church.
- God is at work, He will ultimately judge and balance the scales. He will ultimately be glorified.
But how can we know and experience this?
The psalm gives us a clue in verse 10: "Be Still and Know that I am God."
The trouble with trouble is that it troubles us! 😂 Experiencing God as our Refuge and Fortress takes courageous trust on our parts. We cannot allow our circumstances to dominate our thoughts and faith. We must quieten our hearts, put things in perspective and remember God.
| 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, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Selah. (Psalms46:1-3 ) |
