November 5, 2021 – Psalms 46-50

Our days bring all sorts of experiences. As night turns into morning and morning into day and day into evening, always, we can testify with the Psalmist: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. . . . There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God” (46:1,4). Every day passes beneath the providential rule of our God: “For God is the King of all the earth . . . God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne. . . . For the shields of the earth belong to God; he is highly exalted” (47:7-9). God will guide us (48:14).

Because of our God, we can live out our lives without fear (49:5). Our lives can be filled with thanksgiving, knowing our great salvation that comes from the Lord, and our daily lives can be ordered rightly according to his Word (50:23). What hope and encouragement God gives us in his Word!

There is a stream, whose gentle flow

makes glad the city of our God,

life, love, and joy, still gliding through,

refreshing our divine abode.

That sacred stream, your holy word,

our grief allays, our fear controls;

sweet peace your promises afford,

and give new strength to fainting souls. –Isaac Watts (18th century)