God Of Jacob

God is our refuge and strength, A very ready help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth shakes And the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; Though its waters roar and foam, Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. Selah ……There is a river whose streams make the city of God happy, The holy dwelling places of the Most High. God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. The nations made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered; He raised His voice, the earth quaked. The Lord of armies is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah…… Come, behold the works of the Lord, Who has inflicted horrific events on the earth. 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. “Stop striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted on the earth.” The Lord of armies is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah Psalms 46:8-11 NASB

God, mighty God, is our refuge, strength, our ever-present help in trouble. Only our divine Lord is constantly present with each person on His created earth at the very same moment!  We rejoice at Christmas, we celebrate the day Jesus Christ was born among His people! Hallelujah! God makes Himself available to everyone at all times and promises us that He will never leave our side, not even for a moment. When we, by faith, accept Jesus as the risen Saviour, we will be transformed and made aware of His nearness by the power of Holy Spirit. We then recognize that peace is with us wherever we go because Jesus Christ is Peace.

Psalm 46 really paints a visual of the earth in utter chaos, void of the peace of Christ.  The mountains and water David speaks of are symbols of what we value as stable and secure in our lives. But if WHAT we reach for to have stability is of this world we become unsettled, shaken… our lives feeling as if they are crumbling and we experience a loss of peace . . . rather let us be people reaching instead for WHO and cling to HIM for peace, declaring out loud “We will not fear, I will not fear!”

Romans 8:29-31 NASB For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?

My friends We can say this in full confidence because Holy Spirit shows us that the One upon whom our peace depends is strong and unshakeable.  when David says “We will not fear,” he is proclaiming a conscious and active choice. You see, choosing not to fear means choosing peace.   God teaches, commands, us to be still and know . . . Be still isn't referring to putting a stop to movement or motion, but rather making a moment of pause and perspective in our thoughts.  He is instructing us to take our eyes off our circumstance, the culture of this era, news headlines,  the season we find ourselves in and instead look to the horizon, to fix our eyes on Jesus, to see Him in His rightful place over our lives and over the world. 

And guess what? This isn’t a suggestion! Instead, it’s a loving command, coming from Him who knows what is best for us. It’s a command to pause in our hearts and take a moment to recognize Jesus Christ’s sovereignty. Take the spaghetti mess of screaming and whispering thoughts and lay them at the foot of the cross, ask Jesus to take those thoughts captive! Actually see those thoughts crushed into dust and be gone. 

2 Corinthians 10:5-6 NASB We are destroying arguments and all arrogance raised against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete.

To know peace means to know Jesus. He does not desire for our thoughts to race or wander from submission to Him. Often, when we are not diligent in seeking Him with our heart and mind we experience a loss of peace that we identify as fear or anxiety.  take a moment to receive Holy Spirit’s wisdom, Be still, and know that He is God…… He is the anchor for our souls, praise Him for the confident expectation and assurance we have. The Lord calls both our hearts and our minds to welcome the Prince of peace.