Psalm 46
Though we live in a chaotic world, we will not fear because God is our refuge, our strength, and our help in time of need.
The Structure of the Psalm
- God is our refuge (v. 1a) correlates with v. 4-5
- God is our strength (v. 1b) correlates with v. 6, 8-9
- God is our present help in time of need (v. 1c) correlates with v. 10
- We can acknowledge the chaos of our world (v. 2-3).
- We will not fear because God is our refuge (v. 1, 4-5).
“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”—Isaiah 41:10
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”—Matthew 28:18-20
“And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers.”—Genesis 2:8-10
“Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.”— Revelation 22:1-5
- We will not fear because God is our source of strength (v. 1, 6, 8-9).
“Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying, ‘Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.’ He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision.”—Psalm 2:1-4
- We will not fear because God is our proven help in our time of need (v. 1, 10).
“And they sang a new song, saying, ‘Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals,
for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.’ Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, ‘Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!'”— Revelation 5:9-12
- We can sing an anthem of confidence (v. 7, 11).