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Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Psalm 46: A Day Late

Bear with me while I get serious for a moment...

 It is no secret, that the lovely Hannah shared her Psalms reading plan with me.
Five per day.
1, 31, 61, 91, 121 on the 1st.
2, 32, 62, 92, 122 on the 2nd.

16, 46, 76, 106, and 136 on the 16th.
Which was yesterday.

This is my third full month through the Psalms.
And they have blessed my heart in incredible ways.
(No, not the southern "bless your heart" is the worst curse ever, kind of ways.)

Real, true blessings from our God above.
The kind of blessing where you see that God IS the blessing.

Being that this is the third month going through the entire book, the pages are starting to wrinkle, highlighter is bleeding though more pages, and notes are popping up in more margins.

I love seeing where I was a month ago, and what struck a chord in my heart.

Yesterday morning I read the day's Psalms, each of them spoke to me.

But specfiically, in Psalm 46, I had a note written to myself, reminding me that in the midst of the craziness of life, God just wants us to be still before Him, to KNOW that He is God.
I don't think he is talking about the brain knowing. He is talking about the heart knowing.

How many times have we heard this verse? Seen it on a card. On a wall. Underlined it in our own Bible.
Probably hundreds of times.

But this morning, I was reminded to read around the verse, to see what the message truly was. The earth is giving way. The waters are roaring and foaming. The mountains are trembling. Nations are raging, kingdoms are tottering.

Do you see the craziness?

The picture painted here is one of tumultuous times.
But God assures us, to be still. To KNOW.
To know that the God of Hosts, the God who is exalted among the earth.
And THAT God is that God that is with us.
Amen.

[God Is Our Fortress]
[TO THE CHOIRMASTER. OF THE SONS OF KORAH. ACCORDING TO ALAMOTH. A SONG.]
    God is our refuge and strength,
    a very present help in trouble.
    Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
    though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
    though its waters roar and foam,
        though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah
    There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
    the holy habitation of the Most High.
    God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;
    God will help her when morning dawns.
    The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
    he utters his voice, the earth melts.
    The LORD of hosts is with us;
        the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
    Come, behold the works of the LORD,
    how he has brought desolations on the earth.
    He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
    he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
    he burns the chariots with fire.
    “Be still, and know that I am God.
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth!”
    The LORD of hosts is with us;
        the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
(Psalm 46:0-11 ESV)


Linking up a day late with Jami:




12 comments:

  1. Thanks to both you and Hannah for a wonderful reminder! (I'd love to get the Psalms reading plan if y'all are sharing! I'm trying to find something new to do for my time with God.)

    This Psalm reminded me of the song, "Always." Do you know it? Love this song! Here are the lyrics:

    Chorus 1
    Oh my God
    He will not delay
    My refuge and strength always
    I will not fear
    His promise is true
    My God will come through always
    Always

    Verse 2
    Trouble surrounds me
    Chaos abounding
    My soul will rest in You
    I will not fear the war
    I will not fear the storm
    My help is on the way
    My help is on the way

    Bridge
    I lift my eyes up
    My help comes from the Lord

    CCLI Song No. 5881037

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  2. "He lifts his voice, the earth melts." lift your voice in our lives God, and melt us into stillness, KNOWING you are God there is no other, You are GOd there is NONE like you.

    as i read this psalm here, i read of the turmoil, and then "selah" (praise God). regardless of the circumstances God is to be praised.

    then at the end God proclaims, "I WILL BE EXALTED among the nations" and "I WILL BE EXALTED among the earth." i LOVE HIM. He WILL have His way. that gets me ALL kinds of riled up!

    thank you for sharing this.

    i will be

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  3. amen. glad to know you're loving this "monthly method"!
    this psalm is one of my favorites, i think. i have leaned on these words during rain and shine.

    love you. xo

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  4. psalm 46. LOVE. thanks for the encouragement!
    <3

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  5. i love this psalm, especially v 10!
    "Be still, and know that I am God.
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth!”
    translation: be still, trust Me, and i WILL be exalted in the earth and among the nations.

    that's a boosh if i ever heard one...

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  6. Love reading through the psalms like this.. My husband and I and my girls used this method for several years and it has blessed us and amazed me how much has "stuck" . I immediediatly can recognize a palm in a worship song after systematically reading them over and over. Such a blessing! Thank you for sharing this... I pray others will give it a try!

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  7. i heart you.

    i heart hannah.

    i love that he loves us so, through reminders, truth, and sweet friends.

    xo

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  8. This is great! It's so easy to let "the world" get you down, especially if you catch any little snippet of news - because it's all craziness these days. Even in the midst of chaos, we are called to Be Still and Know That He is God. It's not burying your head in the sand. It's not ignoring the facts. It's placing your focus on God, for He alone is our source of joy and peace and strength. One of my fave verses that I have framed above my son's bed is Psalm 4:8. "I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, oh Lord, make me dwell in safety."
    Thanks for sharing!!!

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  9. this post totally pslamed me. i kid. but i do not. i also speak in code. but you understand my code. and that is why we are friends.

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  10. Yes! That verse is a simple yet powerful reminder that God IS on His throne! And we need not be afraid. I definitely have times when I worry about where the world is headed. I do have to remind myself (or rather, I think it is the holy spirit reminding me) that God is still in control and He will work everything out.

    Thanks for the inspiration tonight! :0)

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  11. I'm so glad you linked up! I love it when a verse hits me fresh... I also love when the highlighter bleeds through the pages of my bible. I'm weird like that! Love ya!

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  12. Yes and Amen! I love that psalm. The world is chaotic, and even my life right now is in a crazy place health-wise. But I will stand strong in the Lord! I kinda wrote about this in my latest post! Thanks for the encouragement.

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