By Campus Missionary Mary Rowley, based on Psalm 46
Imagine that you’re walking up to your office or classroom building when suddenly the street collapses into a giant sinkhole. Or you’re hiking in the mountains when suddenly the mountains get up and walk into the middle of the ocean, where the waves are as high as the peaks and the mountains are physically trembling. Sounds pretty terrifying, right? That’s the picture painted in Psalm 46:2-3. The earth gives way; the mountains are moved into the heart of the sea; the waters roar and foam.
We may not experience the violent moving of the earth regularly, but we do experience frightening situations. We take tests that may affect our entire careers and lives. Our family members suffer from cancer and we are helpless. Our friends get into accidents and suddenly pass away. No matter what’s going on in our lives, there’s always something to be frightened about.
But despite all of that, the Psalmist starts verse 2 with this: “We will not fear.” We will not fear? Are you kidding? I think mountains moving and the earth giving way would make me fearful, to say the least. Situations like stress at work and deaths in the family are constantly frightening. But the Psalmist is confident. “We will not fear.” Why? Because God has made many promises, and he is faithful. The Psalmist lists some of those promises as he goes on.
In verse 5, the Psalmist says, “God is in the midst” of our problems. God isn’t watching our lives from afar. He is right beside us in the struggle, and therefore he knows and understands exactly what we’re going through. He doesn’t forget us, because he is constantly with us. In verse 6, the Psalmist describes the power of God. He can merely utter a word, and the entire earth will melt. That is power. There’s no power on earth that can combat it. Think about it: that’s the power that stands with us.
In verse 10, God doesn’t rally us into battle to combat our problems. On the contrary, he doesn’t tell us to do anything at all. We are merely to be still, and know that he is God, and he is with us, and he is more powerful than our problems. We can be confident, and we can be unafraid, because of the presence of our powerful God all around us. Those are his promises, and we know that he is faithful. Therefore, we will not fear!