Title: I Will Never Fear
Contents
Wednesday, June 27th Early morning prayer and meditation.
- Psalm 46:1-11 I will never fear
Today's text gives great strength and courage to Christians who try to live against the waves of the world, especially those who are struggling to breathe because the waves are too high. In the name of the Lord, I hope that these words will be engraved in our hearts and become wings that rise up alive.
First, from verse 1, the psalmist clearly shows who God is and what faith is. “God is our refuge and strength, a great help in trouble.” In other words, God is both a refuge and a source of strength, and above all, it is a great help in tribulation and hardship. However, these words are not just recitation verses that can be read literally, but are practically visible and embodied evidence for believers who believe in the way of Christ. Therefore, this Word can not only be confirmed in our lives, but must be confirmed.
How do we know? We can tell by looking at our state of mind. We can judge whether this Word is alive or dead to me through whether or not our hearts are afraid of the circumstances and circumstances. Verse 2 begins with “Therefore,” and the end of verse 3 ends with “We will not fear.” That is, we are not afraid, because God is the great help we will meet in trouble. So, what situations are you not afraid of? If you look between verses 2-3, it is a natural disaster that appears only in horror movies of the destruction of mankind. The mountain trembles and flies away and is thrown into the middle of the sea. It is incomparably stronger than the fear of a tsunami, and the sea water is violent and the overflowing land is shaken. The psalmist confesses that he is not afraid even in such an extreme situation of fear.
How could this be possible? No, nevertheless, why do we often, or too often, develop fear in the face of the seemingly arrogant currents of the world, or in the midst of changing circumstances? Obviously, this is because we think that we know Jesus' blood and salvation work well, but we do not have a clear experience and understanding of God who planned and completed this regional work. Psalm 93 has this to say:
“The great waters raised their voice, O LORD, and the great waters raised their voice, and the great waves raised their waves. The power of the LORD on high is greater than the sound of many waters and the great waves of the sea.”
Amen. This is the true confession of experience. We are well aware of the strength and dangers of the sound of waves and high wave heights because we have had at least a little experience of playing in the sea. That is why, when a storm or typhoon comes, you will be surprised to hear the sound of the waves, and moreover, you will be horrified just looking at the ferocious waves that devour hundreds of tons of ships or breakwaters from a distance.
But, by the way, we did not see God who was higher than the high waves at that time. He had not experienced the presence of God's hand in the background, louder than the sound of the water, vaster and more terrifying than the great waves. As the psalmist put it, because we have never properly experienced how great and great “the power of the Lord high” is greater than the waves, even the slightest wind, even the slightest strong typhoon, we can all be overcome by the wind and the sound of the waves. It feels as if the voice of God covering things is buried and a large arm is covered.
On the other hand, those who have experienced even a little of the greatness and greatness of that God experience at the same time that “the power of Jehovah on high” is “a great help” to us at that very moment, no matter how dangerous the circumstances around us are like the raging of the sea. will do. As recorded in verses 5 and 6, this faith exposes the destructive power of a rushing wave as “a stream”. Even cosmic disasters are fully controlled and purposeful under God's plan. In verse 5 it says, “I am not shaken,” and this state is the state of fearless faith, the most representative state of mind experienced when completely trusting in the Lord. In Isaiah 26, such a person is described as “the steadfast in heart,” and “The Lord will keep the steadfast in peace in peace, for he trusts in you.” That's right. We believe that “steadiness” and “peace” that appear only in the midst of great storms and tribulations, rather than just a quiet and smooth path of life, are spiritual states and psychological experiences that God leads.