There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. Psalm 46:4
The river is for us—a source of supply, an origin of life, a spring of hope—a river of blessing that flows from God. It makes us glad by feeding our faith, satisfying our souls, and renewing our spirits. In times of turmoil I find it is often enough to simply say, “There is a river.”
God is the source, supplying all we need when we drink deeply. There is no shortage where God dwells; He is with us and promises help (verse 5). Even when “nations are in uproar” and “kingdoms fall,” the earth melts at the sound of His voice (verse 6).
There is a river. Let the certainty of that truth assure your heart and minister peace to your soul.
In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears.
Psalm 18:6
And what does God do about it? We read the opening verses to this psalm last week, seeing Him as our fortress, rock, shield, and more. But what is God doing when we see no evidence of action? Ah, the unseen, uncomprehended, unfathomable movements of God! The remainder of Psalm 18 gives us a glimpse of what happens in the heavenlies when God answers us:
The earth trembled and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains shook…
Smoke rose from his nostrils; consuming fire came from his mouth, burning coals blazed out of it.
He parted the heavens and came down; dark clouds were under his feet.
He mounted the cherubim and flew; he soared on the wings of the wind…
Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced, with hailstones and bolts of lightning.
The Lord thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded.
He shot his arrows and scattered the enemy, with great bolts of lightning he routed them…
He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters.
He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me…
Don’t be discouraged, my friends. God is always doing more than we see. He is compelled by love, unwaveringly faithful, and resolutely turning our trials into blessings.
“He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me” (v19).
God is present. He’s all around us, like the air we breathe. He keeps the earth turning, the stars shining, and the moon reflecting. He maintains the seasons, holds the oceans within their boundaries, and sustains plant and animal life. He generally gets our concentrated attention when something goes wrong. Otherwise, He’s just there.
We acknowledge God, talk about Him, thank Him, sing to Him, and read about Him. We need to spend quality time pondering Him—who He is, how He acts, what He loves. Psalm 18:1-2 helps us do that:
I love you, Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
My strength—in times of despair, sickness, fear, confusion. I had no resources left, nothing to draw from, but I’m here. God was my strength, my power, my might and He ever will be.
My fortress and stronghold—when no place felt safe He protected me and hid me from harm.
My deliverer—He brought me from one place to another. He never had the wrong address or mishandled me, but safely delivered me to the place I needed to be, even when I didn’t recognize it.
My rock and refuge—my solid ground offering me sure footing, rescuing me from the mire, sheltering me from the storm.
My shield and horn— guarding me, defending me, offering me a place to hold steady.
My salvation—from sin, yes, but from myself, my vices, and weaknesses. He saves me over and over from my enemies of fear, greed, anger, self-pity, jealousy, and others.
Who is this God we confess, pray to, and pledge our allegiance? He is all Psalm 18 describes and more.
I recently read the Creation account in Genesis and saw afresh how God created order out of chaos and, ever since the fall, we have made chaos out of God’s order. The state of unrest and confusion we live in was never God’s design for us. How I long for His coming to end our pushing and pulling, grabbing and greed, fighting and failure. And yet… in the midst of our disorder, we have the assurance that God is still in control, that He has us covered whether or not we see His hand or understand His ways. Let these verses from Psalm 33 encourage you (emphasis mine):
Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him. For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.
The Lord foils the plans of the nations; He thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of His heart through all generations…
From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind; from His dwelling place he watches all who live on earth— He who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do…
But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in His unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine.
We wait in hope for the Lord; He is our help and our shield.
We beseech God to foil Russia’s plans and thwart Putin’s purposes. We ask Him to deliver the Ukrainians from death and keep them alive in famine. We intercede for our loved ones and covet God’s grace and protection. We wait in hope for the Lord and continue to pray about the chaos in our world, in our nation, in families, in suffering bodies. We long for a return to relative order until the time Jesus will rule the new world in peace and justice.
Until that time, like the psalmist, we will trust in His name and unfailing love.
“May your unfailing love be with us, Lord, even as we put our hope in you” (verse 22).
BARBARA HIGBY 