Psalms 46:1 declares, “The Lord is my strength.” He doesn’t say, “He gives me strength,” but rather “He is my strength.” He is saying that this strength is not just a commodity that God gives us a piece of, but rather it suggests that as we surrender to God, we can find all the strength we need in Him.
He then goes on to say, “The Lord, an ever-present help in trouble.” Jesus is not just past or future but is present. God is with us here now, whether we feel His presence or not. He has and always will be with us – even to the end. (Matt. 28:20)
“Therefore we will not fear.” (v.2) In the face of the so many difficulties that could come our way, or tragic events happening around the world that would tend to produce a fear response in us, we need to affirm that He will always be our home, our strength and our present help. This is highlighted in v.6. “Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; He lifts his voice, the earth melts.” Political instability and upheaval are nothing new, but He is on the throne!
We can know all of these truths, these faith affirmations about God, in our heads, yet it is in the midst of the battles we go through, and all of the affirmations we proclaim about who God is, that we have this statement from God Himself: “Be still, and know that I am God.” For these truths to become an inner reality, sometimes we need to stop, and fail! And allow God to make them an inner reality – a yada, a knowing!
The Psalmist knew it in his day, and we see it in ours, even as racial hatred is tearing up cultures and wars are being fought. God’s voice and word outlast them all. The need is the same, to be still and know that He is God,
Sometimes we just need to sit down, be quiet and remind ourselves of that, and that “The Lord Almighty is with us” (v. 7); to behold His works – His provision, protection and care (v.8) and affirm, that He is also our fortress (v.11). God is our home, He is with us, He is in us! “… I am God.”