Psalm 46:1-5 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 46:1-5 on biblegateway.com
Verse 1God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Verse 2Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;
Verse 3though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult. Selah
Verse 4There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High.
Verse 5God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be moved; God will help it when the morning dawns.
Devotion
Without water, the source of life, a city cannot thrive. The principal biblical city is Jerusalem, city of God. Jerusalem, like other cities, was founded by the Gihon River, said to flow beneath the temple. In Ezekiel's vision, it becomes the river of hope from Eden. This river is also said to point to the Messiah. And indeed, the Gihon feeds the Pool of Siloam. There Jesus joined his own saliva with the waters from the stream and healed the man born blind (John 9:11).
In Psalm 46 this river becomes a sign that the watery chaos that has threatened from the beginning is no match for God. God, the ultimate source of life, is in the midst of the city. God is our refuge and strength. And the river of hope becomes, in the hymn of John Newton, the grace that springs from eternal love. How astounding it is that God gives us this concrete sign of hope so we might know that God is in our midst even when steeples are falling.
Prayer
God of grace, be with us where we live. Gladden our hearts and help us see the signs of your presence all around us. Amen.