“Our great God is still our Refuge and Strength. He knows our problems and fears. Thus, we have no business doubting Him even though the earth is convulsed in tragedy or its human masses threated by ethnic hatred, disease, drugs, crime, or abuse.” (Ps. 46, vss. 1-2, Paraphrase in Psalms/Now by Leslie F. Brandt)
Psalm 46 gives thanks for the presence of God in all times of trouble. Different followers of God have held on to God’s presence as articulated in this psalm during their particular times of trouble. Writing in the early 1500’s when the church was experiencing trouble and the region of Saxony in which Luther was living was fearing takeover, Luther wrote his great hymn, A Mighty Fortress. In his own way Luther paraphrased God is our Refuge and Strength as “A Mighty Fortress is our God.” So, in verse 3 he wrote, “Though hordes of devils fill the land all threat’ning to devour us, we tremble not, unmoved we stand; they cannot overpow’r us. This world’s prince may rage, in fierce war engage, He is doomed to fail; God’s judgment must prevail! One little word subdues him.”
The paraphrase of Leslie Brandt of the first two verses of Psalm 46 is so relevant for right now. Writing in 1974, he identifies the present trouble to which the psalmist refers as “ethnic hatred, disease, drugs, crime, or abuse.” Today we can see how all five of these are included in our “times of trouble.” Our emphasis right now may be on “ethnic hatred understood as racism and disease specified at the coronavirus.” So, we would confess that “God is our refuge and strength, a help for June 1, 2020 as we face racism in a new way and a disease that threatens our lives and our vitality.
It is so easy to be overwhelmed by our present human troubles. Over this past week many times I have wondered how racism could raise its ugly head to such an extent that a white officer of the law in Minneapolis could brutalize and kill a young black man. During the past several months I have also wondered how we can get through not only the threat that Covid 19 brings to us, but also the inability for us to be present in our larger families, the church, and human community in general.
It is at this point that the psalmist’s affirmation of trust becomes so important. “When we are down and troubled and need a helping hand” God is there “like a bridge over troubled water.” God is our strength when we feel weak and helpless. God desires the best for us and our family. God desires us to take a stand at all that would separate us from following God’s ways.
Confronted with our present troubles, we cling to hope. We place our trust in the One that walked with Moses against the Egyptians, with people of God against Hitler and Stalin, and walks with us now as we seek peace with justice in our time.
“God, be our Mighty Fortress. Lead us to hold on the One Word that will fell all of the adherents of evil, Jesus Christ, our Liberator. Amen.”
Pastor Roger
Tomorrow: Psalm 22 “What’s Alright for Jesus is Alright for Us”
