A Strong River

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. Psalm 46:4

SEVERAL TIMES A DAY, my emotions rise up, shake me a bit, and try to throw me off balance. Like mini mountains being thrown into my emotional sea, a meeting gets rearranged and upends my whole day, a coworker drops a discouraging comment, a child poops up the back of her onesie. These tiny emotional mountains get shoved around and oftentimes try to rule my heart. They want to overwhelm the truth so I cannot see who God is and what He is doing.

Psalm 46 reminds us that God is a refuge. A place to hide when we’re under attack or when the earth quakes and mountains tumble into the sea. So far, this psalm starts out pretty heavy.

But then the psalmist describes a peaceful picture of a river running through the city of God, making the city glad. Grace so often is a river in the middle of everything, isn’t it? But here’s the thing. The city of God that is described in this psalm is Jerusalem, and Jerusalem is a city that sits on a hill. When it comes to a river being in the middle of Jerusalem, there simply isn’t one today. In ancient times there may have been a stream, but the point is that the psalmist is giving us a metaphorical picture of what the city is like because of who God is.

It turns out that God is the river. God is in the middle of His city. And contrary to the natural disasters of the mountains shaking, God shall not be moved. God will help His people and make them glad.

Seeing God as a strong river in the middle of His people is a great comfort. A river provides sustenance, protection from enemies, and power to the city. He is a very present and strong help in the middle of the worst disasters, and through Him we are well supplied.

Often I feel the need for a strong, peaceful river making me glad in the middle of all my shaky emotions, in the middle of my mountains being tossed about. Psalm 46 shows us that God is the source of life in the middle of doom and death. We can take great comfort in the fact that He establishes Himself in the middle of His people, and we can trust in His loving presence to protect us. He is life, fortifying His city and His people. You included.

GRACE REFLECTION: Where have you seen God run through the middle of your worries and troubles? How has His character been a comfort to you through moments of uncertainty and pain?