2Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
3Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.
4There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.
5God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.
6The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted.
7The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
8Come, behold the works of the LORD, what desolations he hath made in the earth.
9He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire.
10Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
11The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
I've been trying to memorize this lately so that I can think about it when I am tempted to worry. When I was kid, I listened to these Christian cassette tapes that were called G.T. and the Halo Express. They consisted of children being scared of things and an angel showing up and reminding them of the promises of scripture. And then those verses would be set to song. At the time I loved them. Now the super 80s music they used to accompany the verses is a downside, but I still remember the text, which was always from the NIV. The good news is that the King James version defamiliarizes the words just enough for me to forget the music from G.T. (even as I memorialize it here). But my favorite part of this one is when the psalmist talks about Jerusalem in v. 5: "God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early." And that right early. Amen.
Oh, and apropos music, the hymnal lists Martin Luther's "A Mighty Fortress is Our God" as based on Psalm 46. And there are no flies on that music. At least not for me.
Love it, Ali, thanks. And that right early... our time frames often see the help of God in our trouble as being slow I think. ESV renders it "when morning dawns." Surely both King David and Martin Luther knew something about long nights, full of evil adversaries, the raging of the heathen and the tottering of kingdoms. Had they not, we probably wouldn't have the psalm or the hymn.
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