Psalm 46
1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, 3 though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. 4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. 5 God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. 6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. 7 The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. 8 Come and see what the Lord has done, the desolations he has brought on the earth. 9 He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire. 10 He says, “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 Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Verses 1-9 talk about the Lord as a mighty and powerful refuge. That He does not just protect and shield us until “it passes” (whatever IT may be) but that He fights for us!
V. 1 He is ready to help
V. 5 He will protect
V. 6 He thunders and melts the Earth
V. 7 He is here among us
V. 8 He brings destruction
V. 9 He causes wars to end and breaks the bow and spear (weapons of the enemy)
When the Holy Spirit spoke this verse to my heart this morning, I thought to myself - “oh this is perfect! We all need to be still and at peace.” That IS true and is confirmed in the chapter but there is so much more!
GOD IS POWERFUL
He can “melt the Earth” with one thunder of His voice! If this doesn't remind us that HE is the one we need to eradicate this virus, I don’t know what does. The Lord told me the other day (in a moment of worry) that He can literally wipe this thing out in a day. A DAY. Now - I am not saying that is what He is going to do but it did put my mind at peace knowing that He is POWERFUL enough to do it!
HE IS RIGHTEOUS
Righteous = morally right or justifiable; virtuous.
He WILL do what is morally right. Do you ever get stuck in frustration of someone doing something wrong? I do. But, it’s not our job to bring justice to every situation in our own strength. It’s His. We are to humble ourselves, forgive those people, and pray, asking The Lord to intervene. We should do the RIGHT thing, follow the mandates and rise above the mocking but it’s God’s job to save and heal the world of this disease. He is ready, willing, and able!
HE DOESN’T WAIVER
When God is ready to move, He does it. Just like in verse 9 - He causes wars to end. Period. If you have watched any news briefings or read the updates, you know the officials are calling this a war. Physically speaking (and I believe spiritually speaking as well). We need God to intervene like only He can.
He also does not waiver (shake, move) physically as our protection. He is our refuge and strength. He is our FORTRESS. A fortress has multiple forms of protection, guard, safety. If God is that to us, we have no need to fear, strive to protect ourselves on our own, or try to solve our own problems.
Finally God does not “waive” His stance or place. To waive something means “to give up; forgo: to waive one's right; to waive one's rank; to waive honors. Law. to relinquish (a known right, interest, etc.) intentionally. to put aside for the time; defer.” Bottom line, God is not waiving His right, power, or place. He created this world, us, His creation for GOOD and He will not leave His people in a time of deep need.
Verse 10 says that He WILL be honored in every nation! Think about that, God says that His name will be honored. That means that:
1 - People must recognize there IS a God (the One, True, God)
2 - Realize He is the One they need.
3 - Give credit where credit is due!
HE IS THE SOLUTION
So, when verse 10 says to BE STILL (silent), not only is it saying for us to quiet our speech, minds, and emotions but also to physically stop. Realizing He is so much more powerful and able. In a sport, when the opponent is really good/intense, do you put in your second string or your BEST (fit, able, seasoned, undefeated) players in the game? The latter I hope. That’s what God is constantly reminding us -- He is the ultimate player/ warrior. He WILL win because He is the UNDEFEATED champion. It is our job to be still and have faith that He will come through and end this war in His time.
Lord, You are sovereign and holy. We exalt you above ALL. You Father are worthy. Thank you for bringing salvation to the world and taking care of it ALL on the cross - sin, death, disease, poverty. God we humble ourselves and admit we need you. Lord, we believe you are ready and able to help us and we ask for your intervention and move here and now. Eradicate this disease in Jesus name. Your word says you have given us authority in Your name, so we take authority over all sickness and say it is ineffective in Jesus name. Stop spreading COVID-19 in the name of Jesus Christ. We speak healing over our nation and world - into every home and person. Lord, continue to build our faith in You and fill us with HOPE as we sense Your presence with us and see You move. In Jesus name, amen.
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