Refuge in the Uproar

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.

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 Lord Almighty is with us;

the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Come and see what the Lord has done,

the desolations he has brought on the earth.

He makes wars cease

to the ends of the earth.

He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;

he burns the shields with fire.

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth.”

The Lord Almighty is with us;

the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Psalm 46

There are times when human words are pale and thin. We need God’s words to settle and strengthen us. Psalm 46 is a refuge in the uproar.

This is not the first Lenten season that the world has been in an uproar. #Lent #coronavirus #encouragement Share on X

During the weeks leading up to the crucifixion, the world surely seemed to be turning inward upon itself. The people were in turmoil, fear forcing many into isolation, terrified of an unknown future. Accusations and conspiracy theories were rampant. I wonder if Jesus’ followers turned to the words of Psalm 46, drawing comfort as they recited them from memory by lamplight behind closed doors.

Church, as we watch the world turn inward upon itself in light of a virus so small it cannot be seen with the naked human eye, let us turn to God whom we cannot see, but whom we love and trust. Surely His might is greater than the might of disease, the roar of the stock market, the fear of what the future holds. Be still, and know that He is God. He will be exalted in all the earth. He is our refuge in the uproar.

Lord, I will trust you in the uproar, the uncertainty, the noise of the nations. Amen.

@audreycfrank