“For the choir director. A Psalm of the sons of Korah, set to Alamoth. A Song. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth should change and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. Selah” (Psa 46:0-3).
Psalm 46 is the go-to psalm for many people seeking God’s comfort in times of danger—and it ought to be. For God is described as the LORD of Hosts (i.e., armies) who is with us (Psa 46:7, 11), a “very present help in trouble” (Psa 46:1).
However, as surprising as it may be, Psalm 46 is not meant to be read as a stand-alone psalm. It belongs to a group of psalms called the Psalms of Korah (Psalms 42–49) and must be interpreted accordingly.
Psalm 46 functions as an answer to all the complaints and prayers in Psalms 42–44. In those earlier psalms, God is not described as the LORD of Hosts, but rather as a God who has rejected and abandoned our armies (Psa 44:9). Instead of finding safety in God’s presence while the waters and the nations “roar” against us (Psa 46:3, 6), it is our souls that roar within us—i.e., “become disturbed” because God feels far away.
These contrasts help us recognize Psalms 46–49 as the answered prayers of people who have cried out for God’s help. Indeed, the psalmist pleads in Psalm 44:26, “Rise up, be our help, and redeem us for the sake of Your lovingkindness.” And in Psalm 46:1, God is our “very present help in trouble.”
Yet the cries for God to draw near in Psalms 42–44, followed by the celebration of His nearness in Psalms 46–49, highlight the critical importance of Psalm 45 within this collection. It is no surprise that Psalm 45 is a love song (Psa 45:0) about Israel’s beautiful (Psa 45:1–2), strong (Psa 45:3–5), divine (Psa 45:6–9), and loving (Psa 45:10–17) Messiah.
For the psalmist, Psalms 46–49 describe a future reality that will ultimately come to pass when Israel, like the sons of Korah, falls in love with her Messiah. But until that glorious day arrives, we can find peace and calm amid the storm by meditating on the glories of our great Messiah.
The post Peace in the Storm first appeared on ONE FOR ISRAEL Ministry.
The post Peace in the Storm appeared first on ONE FOR ISRAEL Ministry.