Where can I go for shelter from this crazy world?
As I was reading Psalm 46, I couldn’t help but find definite parallelism between what the psalmist was describing and current day events, and not just from an environmental perspective, although reading Psalm 46 post-Hurricane Harvey and pre-Hurricane Irma did come close!
God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
The sons of Korah did a great job of creating a vision of Earthly destruction and devastation.
But then, in the midst of the descriptive turmoil, peace and quietness, as though the hand of God calmed a raging sea…
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.
Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
The words of the Psalm offer the hope of knowing that in the midst of tragedy, God is with the Earth, assuring the He will not leave her. And how could the psalmist know so many years ago that nations would be in such turmoil? How could the psalmist have known that we are at the brink of war as a result of nuclear weapons being used for evil?
And closer to home, our families are under attack… 1 in 2 marriages are ending in divorce, and the statistics show that the divorce rate is higher among Christians, and lowest among atheists. Slowly, but assuredly, the mention of the name Jesus is seen as a violation, rather than the name above all others. And yet, in the midst of all this ‘cancer’, God is still God, and the psalmist affirms that God continues to love His children, vowing to destroy whoever or whatever opposes Him and His people, offering stern warnings to His enemies.
In the midst of the turmoil, God’s words comfort us…
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
Our Father takes His role as defender of our hearts seriously, especially to those who acknowledge Him, and His Son as Lord and Savior, preparing to move Heaven and Earth to protect those He has invested so much in.
Just as we, as Christians, would make any sacrifice to keep our families safe, so, too, has God offered everything to ensure that His home within our hearts is secure. Once we accept Jesus as our Savior, we open ourselves to the Holy Spirit living within us. And in so doing, the enemy cannot successfully invade what God has already claimed. But, this requires a personal decision to do life according to God’s plan completely… not on just the aspects of life that we chose to follow.
My brothers and sisters… we are living in dangerous times… time is short. Matthew 10:33 warns us that whoever denies Jesus before men, Jesus will deny before His Father in Heaven. None of us know the day of His coming. We must heed the advice of the psalmist and know, in our hearts, that God is God, always. Make the time to spend time with Him… He will offer shelter in this crazy world.
Lord, we’re called to life in this world, but not be of the world… doing life according to Your plan is not easy, but we know that the rewards are great and You are worth the sacrifice. Thank you for the respite of peace that You offer those who call you Lord and believe that You are who You are… always. Help us to keep our hearts focused on You until we can see You face to face. Amen!
Greg (gstefanelli)
Sixty-six books in a year 