Finding True Security: Reading Psalm 46–48 (Part One)

 Psalms 46–48 form a trio of psalms that envision a secure foundation for the life of faith. They focus us as God’s people on the key relationship that guarantees our future. Each psalm serves as a praise to the LORD as the true king of the earth.
Let's begin with Psalm 46:

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. Selah

Psalm 46:1 opens with a bold confession. Our God is an ever-present refuge in times of trouble. Chew on that for a few minutes. God is not wishy-washy. God is not only a god of the good times. The psalmist reminds us that God is dependable and present even in crisis moments when all seems lost. 
 
Verses 2–3 draw out the full implications of God-given security. We can lay aside our deepest fears. We all fear something. The psalmist however refuses to fear even the undoing of creation. Verses 2–3 describe a scenario in which creation (earth, mountains, sea, and waters) disintegrates. He pictures the catastrophic end of the world. The psalmist proclaims that with God there is always a future no matter what comes. That is true security.
 
The psalm takes a dramatic shift in verses 4–7. Its focus turns to the security and calm of God’s city: Jerusalem. In the Old Testament, Jerusalem or Zion represented the center of God’s kingdom. In Jerusalem stood the two pillars of God’s presence: the Davidic King or Messiah and the Temple where the glory of the LORD inhabited. Jerusalem was the city of the Great King who reigned through his Messiah and whom the people worshipped in the Temple. These verses describe peace in the midst of the chaos and uproar of the nations. The kingdoms of this world may threaten and practice violent injustice, but the true King serves as a fortress for his people who find refuge in him.
 
So what does the refuge of God mean for God’s people in a world of chaos and insecurity? This is an important question for us in the 21st century as our world is no less chaotic than it was in the psalmist’s day.
 
In verses 8–11, God speaks directly to creation including all of the raging nations. It is a portrait of the future kingdom of God when God makes all things new. These verses invite everyone including the raging nations to come and catch a glimpse of God’s abundant and peaceful future. Verse ten brings Ps 46 to a memorable climax with its call to stillness in the midst of the chaos of the present. There is a way to peace and security. It is not war. It is not manifestations of power and rage. Peace and security come from knowing and experiencing God as the exalted Lord and true King. The LORD is our refuge. We can live faithfully as his hands, feet, and mouthpieces in the world because the LORD has secured the future. 


Key Observation: Calmness and security are found in relationship with the true King of Creation—The LORD

Reflect on your deepest fears. How does Psalm 46 invite you to overcome them?

How often do you take time to quite your mind and reflect on the greatness of God? Where in your present life can you create 5-10 minutes to create a daily practice?

Longing for Security in the Midst of Insecurity: Learning to Pray Psalm 16

We long for security. It’s part of our humanity. God created us to live in harmony with our Creator, with creation, and with one another (Genesis 1–2). But human sin and disobedience has disrupted God’s creation and sin manifests itself in broken relationships, violence, greed, and injustice. All of these lead to insecurity in our world. News organizations report a constant flow of natural disasters, financial crises, and conflicts.  Yet in the midst of this, as God’s people, we seek to represent hope and serve as agents of blessing for the sake of God’s mission to the nations. Psalm 16 helps us to pray when we experience insecurity. Its words are important as they remind God’s people that true security is found only in the LORD. Others may promise it, but only the LORD delivers.

Psalm 16 divides into two parts: vv. 1–6 and vv. 7–11. Part one opens with a plea and a commitment. The psalmist exclaims his desire to take refuge in the LORD and asks God to provide security.
Verses 2–6 put flesh to the pslamist vow of commitment. The psalmist is not hedging his bet by pursuing simulataneously multiple security options. This is often our tactic in the modern world. We opt for God and [fill in the blank] as the key to making it through the world. For the psalmist, the LORD is the only lord and only source of true goodness (v. 2). In other words, the psalmist is “all in” in terms of commitment. 

In verses 3–6 the psalmist describes his commitment to God as his lord by aligning himself with God’s people (v. 3), proclaiming the futility of trusting in other gods (v. 4), and the already experienced blessing of his relationship with the LORD (vv. 5–6).

The second half of the psalm turns to praise. These verses contain some of the most hopeful and confident statement in the psalter. Verses 7–9 speak of the psalmist’s intention to worship and sing praises to the LORD. The psalmist does this continually and remains in a vital moment–by–moment walk. This is the source of the psalmist’s security. He does not merely turn to God when he encounters trouble. He remains in communion with God and listens attentively.

Peter quotes verses 8–11 during his sermon on the Day of Pentecost as an Old Testament witness to Jesus’ resurrection (Acts 2:25–28). The psalmist’s confidence in God runs so deep that he lives in the security that even death will not prevail over God’s ability to sustain him. This is a faith that we ought to desire for ourselves. The psalmist has his mind made up and has aligned himself fully with the LORD for now and all eternity. This provides him with the strength, hope, and witness to live a life of passionate praise and faithfulness before a watching world. Do you have this security in your life?

How would you live differently if you had the confidence of the psalmist?

What challenges in your life bring you insecurity?

How does this psalm teach you to abide in the LORD’s security?

Trusting the LORD to Find True Security: Learning to Pray Psalm 11

 ¹ In the Lord I take refuge.

    How then can you say to me:
    “Flee like a bird to your mountain.
² For look, the wicked bend their bows;
    they set their arrows against the strings
to shoot from the shadows
    at the upright in heart.
³ When the foundations are being destroyed,
    what can the righteous do?”

⁴ The Lord is in his holy temple;
    the Lord is on his heavenly throne.
He observes everyone on earth;
    his eyes examine them.
⁵ The Lord examines the righteous,
    but the wicked, those who love violence,
    he hates with a passion.
⁶ On the wicked he will rain
    fiery coals and burning sulfur;
    a scorching wind will be their lot.

⁷ For the Lord is righteous,
    he loves justice;    the upright will see his face. (NIV)

Psalm 11 is a song of trust. It reminds God’s people of the true source of their security. This is a crucial word for us today. It is easy for us to misplace our security. Too often we rely on our owns strengths and resources. This may involve our wealth, our relationships, our network, our possessions, our intellect, or our talents. Psalm 11 assumes that the challenges facing God’s people are more than our own assets can overcome.
 
Psalm 11 divides into two parts. Verses 1–3 describes the challenges facing the faithful in the world as it exists today. Verses 4–7 proclaim a security that transcends the dangers of the present. It affirms the deep relationship between the LORD and the people of God.
 
Verse 1a opens with the psalmist declaring full trust in the LORD. It is in the LORD alone that the psalmist finds refuge. This is the grounding for the psalmist’s life. The psalmist can face the challenges and even dangers of the present because of the LORD.
 
Verses 1b–3 contain the problem that the psalmist’s trust and faithfulness answers. The psalmist addresses the real concern of the community. How can the righteous find security when people with wicked or evil intent threaten their lives and families? This is no mere hypothetical question for many believers around the world today. A life of faith and mission can be risky. The psalmist’s community ponders the need to flee from the dangers of the world by heading to the mountains. What are the people of God to do when it seems as if all of their assumptions and practices of how to live seem to crumble?
 
The psalmist knows the answer to his implied question. Security is found in the LORD. Verse 4 grounds this is the dynamic truth of the LORD’s presence in our world and transcendence over all Creation. As Christians, we can find comfort and peace in the reality that God is present with us in the now of our lives yet simultaneously able to rule with a view from all eternity.
 
On basis of this truth, the psalmist sketches out the implications for our lives. As we’ve seen in other psalms, there are two groups of people: the righteous and the wicked. The psalmist assumes that he is among the righteous. Whenever we find these divisions in Scripture, it is crucial for us to recognize that it is the LORD who makes these categories and it is the LORD who makes these judgments. As we read vv. 5–6, the righteous are not to rejoice at the downfall of the wicked. The backdrop of the psalm is that the righteous are suffering affliction and hardship. Vv. 5–6 describe the reversal that will ultimately occur if those who prefer and practice injustice and violence do not turn from their ways to abide in the LORD. Verse 7 reminds God’s people of their hope-filled future. The takeaway is that God’s people must stay on course in the present and model God’s holy character with the assurance that this is the right way to make it through the world.

What practices do you keep that ground you in God?
 
What kind of person does this psalm invite you to become to be able to live with integrity as one of the righteous?