Though the earth give way

Psalm 46: 1 God is our refuge and strength,
   an ever-present help in trouble.
² Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
   and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
³ though its waters roar and foam
   and the mountains quake with their surging.
                         Selah
 ⁴ There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
   the holy place where the Most High dwells.
⁵ God is within her, she will not fall;
   God will help her at break of day.
⁶ Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
   he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
 ⁷ The LORD Almighty is with us;
   the God of Jacob is our fortress.
                         Selah
 ⁸ Come and see the works of the LORD,
   the desolations he has brought on the earth.
⁹ He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth;
   he breaks the bow and shatters the spear,
   he burns the shields^[b] with fire.
¹⁰ “Be still, and know that I am God;
   I will be exalted among the nations,
   I will be exalted in the earth.”
 ¹¹ The LORD Almighty is with us;
   the God of Jacob is our fortress.
                         Selah

God is our refuge and our strength, an ever-present help in trouble. The God of Jacob is our fortress!

How many times have you sung that in church? Does it have real meaning to you? While this Psalm is perfectly applicable to many situations in life - and rightly so - we should also take it for exactly what it says.

This Psalm is talking about the kind of faith it takes to watch the earth give way and the mountains fall into the sea without fear.

When you study the Bible, one of the things that God will do for you is make connections. When you read something like this Psalm, you'll find yourself saying, "Wait! That sounds really familiar!" (This is when a Concordance or an Internet search can be very helpful) and you'll find verses like these:

Luke 21:25 “There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. ²⁶ Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. ²⁷ At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. ²⁸ When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

Psalm 46 and Luke 21 go together. They are both talking about the end of the age - the things that will happen before Jesus comes. It's easy to read the Bible and be a little casual with what it's saying. It's perfectly right and correct to apply this Psalm and others to your every day situation. Figuratively, the mountains of your life may fall into the depths of the sea - but God is with you. You have no need to fear. 


However - a little challenge for you. As you read through the Bible, take it literally, too. The day is going to come when mountains all over the world are going to fall into the sea. The day is going to come when something causes such changes in the sun and moon and other heavenly bodies that men are going to faint from terror. Something is going to cause the seas to roar and toss that is completely unexplainable. Nations will be perplexed at it. Those days may be just ahead of us. Seriously. 


And, when that day comes, and your friends don't understand, your neighbors are terrorized and you start hearing about the elite preparing to head for great, underground bunkers (Men will flee to caves in the rocks and to holes in the ground from dread of the LORD and the splendor of his majesty, when he rises to shake the earth. Is. 2:19), what will you do? Will you be afraid? You shouldn't be - not if you know your Bible. You can point people to places like Luke 21 and say, "Don't be afraid. God says these things would happen. It just means that Jesus is coming. When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.

Psalm 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God;
   I will be exalted among the nations,
   I will be exalted in the earth.

Some people point this verse and then practice ridiculous things like contemplative spirituality, where you are supposed to empty your mind because God told us to "be still." NO. NO. NO. Be still - be unafraid - stand firm. When these things begin to happen, it is God reclaiming what Satan took possession of. "Be still," means to quiet the fear in your heart - to remember that God IS your fortress. HE is the strong place to hide.

We all need to know what the Bible actually says about the days ahead, so we can calm the fear in our own hearts and in others. Jesus is coming, people. It's time to get serious. NOW is the time to fill your lamp with oil. Don't wait until the earth begins to shake.

One more challenge for you, especially if what you're reading here is way out of your comfort zone. (The first was to get into the Bible and READ and to take literally what you are reading). Today, tomorrow - over the course of the next few days - I encourage you to spend some very deep time in prayer. I want you to ask the question, "Lord, is she right? Is the hour that late?" and then expect an answer.  Trust and believe that God will answer you. And, who knows? Maybe I'm wrong, and you'll get a different answer than I've gotten. I'd love to hear from you, either way. If you'd rather not post it here, you may e-mail me.