My Help Comes From the LORD!!!

Psalm 46 KJV 1900

To the chief Musician for the sons of Korah, A Song upon Alamoth. 1 God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; 3 Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah. 4 There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, The holy place of the tabernacles of the most High. 5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early. 6 The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: He uttered his voice, the earth melted. 7 The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah. 8 Come, behold the works of the Lord, What desolations he hath made in the earth. 9 He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; He breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; He burneth the chariot in the fire. 10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. 11 The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

Why should I run to God when life bring me nothing but trouble and pain?

I am disappointed and depressed because God could have prevented this from happening . Why should I run Him?

When trouble come our way, do not be surprised, dishearten or discouraged. Because God has promises and purposes for those that trust, honor, and obey.

He never promised us trouble would not come our way.

In fact, He said in this world we shall have tribulation. John 16:33

John 16:33 KJV 1900

33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Today I come to rekindle our confidence in the LORD.

As believers we must remember that our covenant with the LORD is not just for life but the LIFE to come!

Background of Psalm 46

Psalm 46 (KJV 1900)

To the chief Musician for the sons of Korah, A Song upon Alamoth.

Psalms 46-48 form a group of three which we may assign with little doubt to the reign of Hezekiah, when Sennacherib's army was suddenly destroyed (2 Kings 19:35). They all three strike the same note of gratitude, confidence and praise, which is found in Isaiah's references to the same event (Isaiah 29-31; Isaiah 33; Isaiah 37).[1]

"This Psalm looks back to the deliverance from Sennacherib. Compare Psalms 46:5, "God shall help her at the dawning of the morning," with Isaiah 37:36, "Early in the morning they (i.e., Sennacherib's army) were all dead men"![2]

"Leupold reviewed a number of other suggestions regarding the great deliverance of Israel which is celebrated in this psalm, and then stated that: `Nothing meets the needs of the case quite so well as does the great deliverance that took place in the days of Hezekiah (701 B.C.) when Sennacherib's forces were disastrously destroyed after having directly threatened the city of Jerusalem, and when the omnipotence of the God of Israel was underscored as it was on but few other occasions.'"[3]

This psalm is famous for the very first line of it, which was made the theme of Martin Luther's great hymn, "A Mighty Fortress is our God." People of all religious convictions still sing this mighty hymn all over the world. Halley called it the "Song of the Reformation."[4] And Spurgeon tells this story:

"There were times when Martin Luther was threatened with discouragement; but he would say, "Come, Philip, let us sing the 46th Psalm"; and they would sing it in Luther's own version, translated by Thomas Carlyle:

1 God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; 3 Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah. 4 There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, The holy place of the tabernacles of the most High. 5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early. 6 The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: He uttered his voice, the earth melted. 7 The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah. 8 Come, behold the works of the Lord, What desolations he hath made in the earth. 9 He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; He breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; He burneth the chariot in the fire. 10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. 11 The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

God is our refuge and strength - God is for us as a place to which we may flee for safety; a source of strength to us in danger. The first word, “refuge,” from a verb meaning to “flee,” and then “to flee to” - הסה châsâh - or to take shelter in - denotes a place to which one would flee in time of danger - as a lofty wall; a high tower; a fort; a fortress. See the notes at Psalms 18:2. The idea here is, that the people of God, in time of danger, may find him to be what such a place of refuge would be. Compare Proverbs 18:10. The word “strength” implies that God is the source of strength to those who are weak and defenseless; or that we may rely on his strength “as if” it were our own; or that we may feel as safe in his strength as though we had that strength ourselves. We may make it the basis of our confidence as really as though the strength resided in our own arm. See the notes at Psalms 18:2.

A very present help - The word “help” here means aid, assistance. The word “trouble” would cover all that can come upon us which would give us anxiety or sorrow. The word rendered “present” - נמצא nimetsâ' - means rather, “is found,” or “has been found;” that is, he has “proved” himself to be a help in trouble. The word “present,” as if he were near to us, or close by us, does not accurately express the idea, which is rather, that “he has been found” to be such, or that he has always “proved” himself to be such a help, and that, therefore, we may now confide in him. The word “very,” or “exceedingly,” is added to qualify the whole proposition, as if this were “emphatically true.” It was true in the most eminent sense that God had always been found to be such a helper, and, “therefore,” there was nothing to fear in the present distress.

Psalms 46

God is a deliverer

Confident in tone and bold in expression, these three psalms express praise to God for delivering Jerusalem from an enemy invasion. One example of such a deliverance was on the occasion of Assyria’s invasion of Judah during the reign of Hezekiah (2 Kings 18:9-37).

No matter what troubles he meets, whether from earthquakes, floods or wars, the person who trusts in God is not overcome by them (46:1-3). He has an inner calmness, likened to a cool refreshing stream that flows gently from God. The Almighty is still in full control, and he gives strength to his people (4-7). God’s power can smash all opposition. Therefore, opponents should stop fighting against him and realize that he is the supreme God, the supreme ruler of the world (8-11). The psalmist calls upon people of all nations to worship God with reverence and joy. The king who rules over all has come down from heaven, fought for his people and given them victory (47:1-4). Now he is seen returning to heaven to the sound of his people’s praises (5-7). He takes his seat on his throne again, king of the world. All nations are, like Israel, under the rule of the God of Abraham (8-9). Now that their beloved city Jerusalem has been saved, the people praise its beauty and strength. More than that, they praise the God who saved it (48:1-3). Enemies thought they could destroy Jerusalem, but God scattered them. They were broken in pieces as ships smashed in a storm (4-7). Israel’s people had heard of God’s marvellous acts in the past; now they have seen them with their own eyes (8). In thanks for the victory, the people flock to the temple to praise God. Throughout the towns of Judah, and even in other countries, there is rejoicing (9-11). The citizens of Jerusalem are proud of their city, but they are prouder still of their God who has preserved it (12-14).

Verse Psalms 46:3. Though the waters thereof roar — Waters, in prophetic language, signify people; and, generally, people in a state of political commotion, here signified by the term roar. And by these strong agitations of the people, the mountains - the secular rulers, shake with the swelling thereof - tremble, for fear that these popular tumults should terminate in the subversion of the state. This very people had seen all Asia in a state of war. The Persians had overturned Asia Minor, and destroyed the Babylonian empire: they had seen Babylon itself sacked and entered by the Persians; and Cyrus, its conqueror, had behaved to them as a father and deliverer. While their oppressors were destroyed, themselves were preserved, and permitted to return to their own land.