Psalm 46 Advent Devotional

Advent Devotional for Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Week 1: PREPARE

God is our refuge and our strength, an ever-present help in distress.
Thus we do not fear, though earth be shaken and mountains quake to the depths of the sea,
Though its waters rage and foam and mountains totter at its surging.
The Lord of hosts is with us; our stronghold is the God of Jacob.

Streams of the river gladden the city of God, the dwelling of the Most High.
God is in its midst; it shall not be shaken; God will help it at break of day.
Though nations rage and kingdoms totter, God’s voice thunders and the earth trembles.
The Lord of hosts is with us; our stronghold is the God of Jacob.

Come and see the works of the Lord, who had done fearsome deeds on earth;
Who stops wars to the ends of the earth, breaks the bow, splinters the spear, and burns the shields with fire,
Who says: “Be still and confess that I am God! I am exalted among the nations, exalted on the earth.”
The Lord of hosts is with us; our stronghold is the God of Jacob.

Psalm 46

Every day, the media announces even more distressing economic news: “The stock market is plummeting.” “The bailout of the banking sector is costing hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars.” “Thousands of people are being laid off or losing their jobs.” “Senior citizens are seeing their retirement accounts disappear overnight.” “The number of people frequenting local food pantries is on the rise.” Doesn’t this seem to reflect what the psalmist describes as the “earth being shaken, the mountains quaking to the depths of the sea, the sea raging and foaming and the mountains totters at the surging of the sea?” Indeed, the solid foundations on which so many placed their economic hopes and their very lives are crumbling. The earth is being shaken; the mountains are quaking to the depths of the sea.

Many can rightfully claim, where is our loving God? Has God utterly abandoned us? If one feels abandoned, the temptation is to be paralyzed by unhealthy worry and frightful anxiety. If one is not paralyzed by worry, one can fall into hectic, even frenetic activity thinking, “I have to do something, do anything for doing something is better than nothing.” Yet, the psalmist advises, “Do not fear; God is our refuge and our strength!” Is the psalmist calling us to passivism, to naïveté? Is the psalmist calling us to ignore the crisis all around us? Is the psalmist trying to lull us into a drug like stupor?

In this present situation or in other turbulent times, it takes courage to “Be still and confess that I am God.” The simple act of prayer and trust in God requires a great act of faith. It takes great courage to even maintain one’s faith in God in the face of others’ criticism. This courage comes from the promise that “The Lord of hosts is with us…” This expression is very similar to the one that Isaiah uses in predicting the birth of Jesus. He says that Jesus is Emmanuel, that is, God is with us. And it is this constant presence of God with us that gives us courage. God is at our side in the midst of whatever difficulty we have: financial, medical, familial… God does not wave a magic wand that takes away the struggles, the worry and the anxiety. But, God will be there with us in the midst of our struggles each and every minute of every day, loving us, supporting us, inspiring us to navigate the obstacles in our path.

As we prepare for Christmas, let us courageously “Be still” in order to recognize the presence of “Emmanuel, God with us” in our midst. It is when we can “Be still” with God that we can break out of our paralysis. It is when we can “Be still” with God that we can set aside frenetic unfocused activity. It is when we can “Be still” with God that we can recognize opportunities to solve problems.

By Steve Suding, Vice President of Mission