There is a River

Sometimes summaries help us understand a giant thought, or groups of thoughts in a tight, compact little sentence or turn of phrase. Sometimes they do us a disservice and fail to convey what it tries to summarize.

Psalm 46 contains a phrase such as this that perhaps many of us have heard standing on its own. It's meant to stop us where we are, set things in order, and cause us to reevaluate what is truly important over all other things.

Psalm 46:10 "Be still and know that I am God."

Songs and poems include it, but until recently I hadn't understood the context of which it falls. This is another instance of our need to read scripture as a whole within its immediate context and not rip individual verses out on their own.

There's a reason why the Psalmist concludes this psalm with that summary. To close, he writes, "be still and know that I am God", because earlier in the psalm he writes:

"There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.
Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Selah"

Jerusalem was the city of peace. The great city of God whose physical attributes made it a refuge for the people of Israel. With waters running through, it became the place the Israelites longed for in Babylon. This is not just a spiritual thing, but physically, the city of God breathed life into its people, trouble for its enemies. For the Psalmist, his conclusion, "be still and know that I am God", is a response to there being a river that runs through the city of God, and that he will not let her fall.

"Be Still and know that I am God" Selah. (Breathe)

For us it's a similar, yet different experience. For those of us who believe, the city of God to come, the new heavens and the new earth, are a refuge to our soul because there is a river. There is a river that flows through the city of God, and it will not fail.

It will not fail.

"Be still and know that I am God" (breathe) Because there is a city that will not fail, so be still, breathe. He is within her, and she will not fail.

There is a river.