God Is Our Fortress

God Is Our Fortress

To the choirmaster. Of the Sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. A Song.

God is our refuge and strength,
    a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
    though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam,
    though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
    the holy habitation of the Most High.
God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;
    God will help her when morning dawns.
The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
    he utters his voice, the earth melts.
The Lord of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

Come, behold the works of the Lord,
    how he has brought desolations on the earth.
He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
    he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
    he burns the chariots with fire.
“Be still, and know that I am God.
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth!”
The Lord of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

Psalm 46

One of my favorite hymns is “A Mighty Fortress is Our God” by Martin Luther.  The music, as well as its lyrics, give a sense of power; yet it has a message of comfort.  A sense of comfort that I am protected, that whatever happens I will be left standing.  I believe that it is human nature to connect with songs that have a message of resiliency.  If you are a fan of the Rocky series, the message is pretty clear in the infamous “Eye of the Tiger.”  Or, in the late ‘90s, you may remember the popular “Tubthumping” by Chumbawamba.  This Psalm is no different, in that there is a message of tenacity, but the tenacity is not in us or in our power, but it is in God.  

It is believed that this song was written after Jerusalem was delivered from the Assyrians.  This narrative in 2 Kings (18-20) tell how King Hezekiah was victorious and was able to defend Jerusalem from being taken.  What stuck out to me was “…he broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the people of Israel had made offerings to it (it was called Nehushtan)” (2 Kings 18:4).  The bronze serpent here (cf. Numbers 21:4-9) was a symbol of hope.  Not only that, it was a symbol of what was to come in the death of Jesus.  So why would a king who “did what was right in the eyes of the Lord” do this?  The answer is really simple, idolatry.  What was once a symbol to point people to God became a god.  This became an object of worship instead of worshipping the only One worthy of our worship.  By destroying this shrine, Hezekiah was stating that the hope is not in this inanimate object; it is in the living God.

I once heard a fighter say that you need a reason not to quit and to cling on to it.  This advice may work in a fistfight, but in the long run it seems to be self-determined.  What we need to realize that the war is already won, even though we still fight the battle every day.  “for the righteous falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in times of calamity” (Proverbs 24:16).  Why does the righteous man keep getting up?  Why doesn’t he stay down?  What needs to be said is that he is righteous because of anything he did, he is righteous because God made him righteous.  He gets up because the grace of God empowers him to get up.  We go through real trials, tribulations, and temptation every day.  No matter how badly we perform one day, we are still victorious because God has won it all in the end.  In times of trouble, please remember, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).

May you be empowered by His grace,

Justin