By Timothy Beer
We all need the freeing reminder that our Christian life is not dependent on who we are or what we can do. Because of God’s amazing grace, it instead depends completely upon who Jesus Christ is and what He can do (Philippians 2:13). We see this truth also presented in the words of John 15:5, “Without Me you can do nothing,” and of Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
God gave a clear message of correction to the people of Israel through the prophet Jeremiah—a corrective that is also relevant to us today in our world of pride, wisdom, power, and riches. He stated that there is only one thing genuinely worth boasting in, which is to “truly know” Him and so to understand that He alone is God (Jeremiah 9:23–24, NLT).
This same theme of knowing God is clearly presented in Psalm 46. To enjoy this eternal reality that “I am God,” we must trust in Him, depending completely upon Him (v. 10). While the world is full of busyness, noise, distractions, and entertainment, our Christian joy and freedom come from being still in God’s presence. Therefore, we need to daily lay aside our pride, effort, and wisdom so we look only to God.
This knowledge of God is not academic or intellectual; rather, it is spiritual and experiential. So it can only come from daily intimacy with God. Just like Enoch and others of old, we are blessed with the amazing privilege of daily walking in close fellowship with the God of the universe. No other religion or philosophy comes even close to this unique message of Christianity.
Psalm 46 tells of a world of chaos, fear, disaster, and warfare that is up to date with the current international situation. And, then, the psalmist reminds us that God is our refuge and strength in times of trouble. He alone, through His glorious working, can bring this world’s chaos and battles to an end.
While in our stillness we experience that He is God, we will see the practical fulfillment of the two promises of verse 10—“[He] will be exalted among the nations” and “[He] will be exalted in the earth”—when we do the following:
First, we must prayerfully call upon Him for the huge spiritual needs of this world (1 Timothy 2:1–6). Clearly, the world is in physical chaos. Yet, more importantly, it is in absolute spiritual chaos. As we plead in accordance with God’s desire for every person to be saved, He points us to the transforming power of the cross that is sufficient for all. In this stillness of dependency, we will be privileged to see God being “exalted among the nations” as people across the world come to personally experience that He is God.
The last verse of Psalm 46 contains two beautiful guarantees of God’s presence for those who take the time to be still before Him: “the Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us” and “the God of Israel is our fortress.” (v. 11, NLT) Truly, we have nothing to fear because our God is the God of absolute power and authority, with all of heaven’s armies at His command. We can confidently rest in His desire and ability to always be there for us. God’s amazing grace is sufficient for every person.
Based in the US, Timothy Beer is a missionary with connections to Zambia.
Originally published in Missions magazine, June 2022. For more content, sign up for a free subscription (US) to Missions at CMML.us/magazine/subscribe.
