God is our refuge, and He is our source of strength and joy; He is also our ruler. The psalmist's words were very familiar to Paul, who wrote in Philippians that He desires we submit to Him voluntarily. If we do not submit voluntarily, there is a day coming when all will bow:
so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:10-11)
The first thing that the psalmist said about deferring to God as our ruler is this: behold His works!
Come, behold the works of the Lord, (Psalm 46:8a)
The first thing that the psalmist is referring to is the miraculous deliverance He provided to the city of Jerusalem, by destroying the Assyrian army. It was amazing; there could be no other explanation for the immediate death of over one hundred thousand soldiers. And it would have been, as the second half of verse eight says, "horrific."
But we can apply this verse as an invitation to consider God's works down through the centuries -- beginning with His speaking the stars and the planets into existence, and populating the earth with plants and animals of miraculous variety. Time after time, He delivered His people. We can read in the scriptures and we can look at the history of the church. The God of Abraham, Jacob, Moses, David, and Hezekiah is the same God of Peter, Paul, Luther, and Spurgeon. When we behold His works we will submit to him as our ruler.
The second thing the psalmist says about deferring to God as our ruler is to bow to His ways:
“Stop striving and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted on the earth.” (v. 10)
The command to stop striving is God speaking to the nations who are fighting against His people and His purpose. But we can also apply it to ourselves. It won't do us any good to be like a mule that kicks up a fuss when the farmer wants to put the reins and traces on him so that he can more easily and comfortably pull the wagon. When trouble hits, don't strive against God. Know that he is sovereign, even over our troubles. He will be glorified best by our submitting to Him as Lord.
It was Psalm 46 that inspired the great reformer, Martin Luther, to write the hymn, "A Mighty Fortress." Luther faced danger and threats on his life, and was forced to hide for eleven months. In the face of opposition and pressure from all sides, he stood firmly for the truth of salvation through faith alone. It is said that when he grew discouraged, he would say to his co-worker, "Let us sing the forty-sixth Psalm."
"A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing.
Our helper, He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing."
For us to experience God's sufficiency in a crisis, we must be learning to experience it each day. We must depend on Him as our refuge. We must draw on Him as a resource. We must bow to Him as our ruler. If we do these things when all is going smoothly, we will know how to do them when trouble strikes. In a time of trial, we humans turn to what (or Who) we trust, to help us cope. A materialistic person turns to shopping. An addict turns to drugs. A worldly person will turn to the wisdom of this world. A Christian should turn to the Lord.
When trouble strikes, He is sufficient to get us through.
Amen!
AMEN
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