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Daily Devotion: Psalm 46:4-7

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Psalm 46:4-7    "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."

It seems this particular Psalm consists of David going deep into his heart and mind concerning his life, the power of God, and the relationship between His life and the Lord. There are three divisions in this Psalm which end with the word, "Selah".  Yesterday, we saw the fact that God is, indeed, a very present help in times of trouble.  Today, in these four verses, David speaks of that help moving from the presence of the Lord into our lives.

"There is a river."  People have various places where they receive the renewing of heart and mind. Many people enjoy the beach and hearing the waves with a gentle breeze blowing in their faces. For me, I love to sit in a lawn chair beside the flowing water of a river. There is something refreshing about the sound of water that is flowing. In an earlier Psalm, David used the analogy of the hart (deer) beside the water brook. "As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God." (Psalm 42:1) In that Psalm, the hart is longing for the refreshing of the water and his longing for God. In today's verse, we are told "there is a river".

The river in this verse represents the mercy and grace of God that is ever present in our lives. That river flows from the throne of God and it makes us glad. The mercy and grace of God overrides the raging of the heathen. In His timing, the Lord makes His presence known to whatever degree it is needed. We look back at another Psalm concerning the power of God against the things of this world that are ungodly. In the 2nd Psalm, he spoke of the heathen and God's reaction to their raging.  The heathen said, "Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.  (4)  He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision." (Psalm 2:3-4)  

David says, "Selah" - Think about this. The heathen rage. They imagine vain things. They promote self over others. They seek self exaltation. And if I may insert my favorite word, "(But) The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge."  SELAH!!

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