Psalm 46 - Cease Your Striving
- Chad Werkhoven
- 4 days ago
- 4 min read
The harder you strive on your own, the more you'll fear.
PSALM 46 (NASB)
For the choir director.
A Psalm of the sons of Korah, set to Alamoth.
A Song.
1 God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change
And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea;
3 Though its waters roar and foam,
Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride.
Selah.
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
The holy dwelling places of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved;
God will help her when morning dawns.
6 The nations made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered;
He raised His voice, the earth melted.
7 The LORD of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our stronghold.
Selah.
8 Come, behold the works of the LORD,
Who has wrought desolations in the earth.
9 He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth;
He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two;
He burns the chariots with fire.
10 “Cease striving and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
11 The LORD of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our stronghold.
Selah.
Belgic Confession
Article 27: The Holy Catholic Church
We believe and confess
one single catholic (universal) church—
a holy congregation and gathering
of true Christian believers,
awaiting their entire salvation in Jesus Christ
being washed by his blood,
and sanctified and sealed by the Holy Spirit.
--
And this holy church is preserved by God
against the rage of the whole world,
even though for a time
it may appear very small
in the eyes of men—
as though it were snuffed out.
Summary
Today's Summary & Dig Deeper post is modified from August 28, 2024
Psalm 46 is familiar and well loved for a couple of reasons. One big reason that Psalm 46 resonates the way it does is because of how it accurately describes the chaos of our fallen world. There's trouble, as the whole world is collapsing into itself, earthquakes surge and shake, mountains slip into the heart of the sea, nations are in uproar and kingdoms totter.
All of these poetic pictures this psalm paints stand in stark contrast to the order and beauty that God created the world to have. The Bible often explains the effects of sin upon God's good creation, but few passages pack the rhetorical power of Psalm 46 in describing what Adam's sin unleashed.
But all of this verbal thunder is offset by the peaceful advice Psalm 46 provides. The three imperatives (commands) are nearly equally spaced throughout the poem:
We will not fear... Notice this imperative is phrased as an indicative! In other words, it's not just a command for you to follow, it's a reality that God provides.
Come and behold what the LORD has done... The NIV uses the phrase come and see, but even though the word behold seems archaic, it better captures the psalmist's meaning here: it's not enough to just see what the LORD has done, you need to eliminate all of the distractions and behold it!
and Cease striving and know that I am God... Of course the more familiar translation of this command is to be still, but once again the NASB better captures the original meaning; the stillness required here comes only when you cease striving. The Hebrew word means to release / let go.
You can have the peace this psalm commands because it promises the almighty presence of God Immanuel - that is, God with us - even in the midst of the sin fueled chaos. Our God is an very-present help in trouble; He is dwelling within the holy city, so she will not fall. God's presence is reiterated in the psalm's two identical refrains: The LORD of hosts is with us... (v7 & 11).
Dig Deeper
You're likely reading this post at the end of another work week, and this peaceful refuge that Psalm 46 promises probably seems so far away in the midst of the chaos all around you. But this city of God which will not be moved is far closer than you may think.
This city the psalmist writes of isn't a walled fortress located somewhere in Palestine, it's present wherever God's people meet to worship Him. It's the Church where God gathers, protects and preserves His people; the place which is well fed by the river of grace whose streams make glad the city [Church] of God.
God is the midst of His Church, so she will not be moved. No matter what the nations do in their uproar, no matter how many kingdoms totter around her, all our God must do is raise His voice and the fallen earth will melt leaving nothing but His purified Church. This is why, in the most pivotal moment of Jesus' earthly ministry, He told Peter that He would build my Church and the gates of Hell will not overcome it (Matt. 16:18).
As you navigate this chaotic, fallen world, do not fear; cease your striving and know that He is God. You are secured forever as a member of the City of God: His Church. The Lord's Day is once again approaching. Come and behold what the LORD has done.
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: This world is trying to pull you away from God with all its chaotic might. Pray that you can cease your striving and know the LORD is God;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
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