Rest and Peace in God
Rest and Peace in God
Psalm 46 God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy habitation of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;
God will help her when morning dawns.
6 The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
he utters his voice, the earth melts.
7 The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
8 Come, behold the works of the Lord,
how he has brought desolations on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the chariots with fire.
10 “Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!”
11 The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
As I meditated on this Psalm this morning, I thought about what the Psalmist says about who God is and what he does.
God is a refuge, a strength, and an ever-present help (verse 1). He is a fortress (verses 7, 11).
He is in the midst of the city of God, so that she shall not be moved (verse 5). He is a help (verse 5). He is with us (verse 7). He brings desolations on the earth (verse 8), but he also makes wars cease and destroys weapons of war (verse 9).
And because of these things, because of who God is and what God has done, be can be still (verse 10), that is, we can rest and be at peace.
I don’t know about you, but I’m getting tired of turmoil and conflict. I’m tired of the disruptions and turbulence from the pandemic. I’m tired of the whirl and tumult from the election. I’m tired of the strife and agitation between Christians.
But while I am in turmoil and conflict, I am also comforted in knowing that in times such as these, in fact in every time and in every place, God is with his people. And all these things that the Psalm says about God were fully realized for us in the person of Jesus Christ.
Therefore, let us come to Christ, not just come, but flee to Christ. In him we will find rest and peace, we will be still and know that he is God.
I found comfort too in this prayer from the Valley of Vision:
O Lord, whose power is infinite and wisdom infallible, order things that they may neither hinder, nor discourage me, nor prove obstacles to the progress of Thy cause. Stand between me and all strife, that no evil befall, no sin corrupt my gifts, zeal, attainments. May I follow duty and not any foolish device of my own. Permit me not to labor at work which Thou wilt not bless, that I may serve Thee without disgrace or debt. Let me dwell in Thy most secret place under thy shadow, where is safe impenetrable protection from the arrow that flieth by day, the pestilence that walketh in darkness, the strife of tongues, the malice of ill-will, the hurt of unkind talk, the snares of company, the perils of youth, the temptations of middle life, the mournings of old age, the fear of death. I am entirely dependent upon Thee for support, counsel, consolation….Strengthen me by Thy Spirit in my inner self for every purpose of my Christian life.
Much love, Barry