Psalm 46:1

Psalm 46:1

The City of God

The commentators on this Psalm describe it as a celebration of the city of Jerusalem. That was and is an earthly capital; we can look forward to a heavenly secure city as described in Revelation 21. Whatever the setting, this is a song of hope that celebrates certainty! God’s kingdom will come, He will triumph, and He will reign over all the earth. The Psalm was sung at the Temple and was apparently divided between refrain and response. So, the citizens of Jerusalem sang verses 1-3 and a Levite choir leader would respond by singing verses 4-6. The people sang v7,11 and the Levite would respond with v8-10. In other words, everyone has a place in this Psalm, it celebrates the glory of God amongst all of His children. Hallelujah!

 

The Psalm begins with a declaration of hope, “God is our refuge. God is our Strength. God is an ever-present help in trouble.” The thing is, when we declare our hope in God we are not dealing with someone or something earth-bound or variable. Hope in God is not a wavering – maybe - subject to other factors, kind of anticipation. Hope in God is hope in certainty, He does not waver, He does not change, He is strong and resilient and true and not subject to any external influence or change. When we hope in Him, we are putting our anchor into a rock that does not move and trusting in One who will never fail. Take these words to heart today – God is your refuge. God is your strength. God will always be there for you. God will always help you when trouble comes. Fact!

The people of Israel could sing this song because their history proved its validity. Even when they strayed and chased pagan gods and wavered in their faith, the Lord God called them back and restored them – again and again and again. Let us remember this, He will never leave us or forsake us, even though, sometimes, we forsake Him. Hallelujah! 

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