Psalm 48
Psalm 48
Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised
in the city of our God.
His holy mountain, beautiful in elevation,
is the joy of all the earth,
Mount Zion, in the far north,
the city of the great King.
Within its citadels God
has shown himself a sure defense.
Then the kings assembled,
they came on together.
As soon as they saw it,
they were astounded;
they were in panic, they took to flight;
trembling took hold of them there,
pains as of a woman in labor,
as when an east wind shatters
the ships of Tarshish.
As we have heard, so we have seen
in the city of the Lord of hosts,
in the city of our God,
which God establishes forever.
We ponder your steadfast love, O God,
in the midst of your temple.
Your name, O God, like your praise,
reaches to the ends of the earth.
Your right hand is filled with victory.
Let Mount Zion be glad,
let the towns of Judah rejoice
because of your judgments.
Walk about Zion,
go all around it, count its towers,
consider well its ramparts;
go through its citadels,
that you may tell the next generation
that this is God,
our God forever and ever.
He will be our guide forever.
It is so easy to feel lost and discouraged. It is so simple to feel the need for a plan; the need for control. With all the current uncertainty surrounding us, it is so easy to feel anxious about what lies ahead.
This passage is a reminder that we belong to Him. It reminds us that He has established us forever through the gift of His Son Jesus Christ (Hebrews 1:1-3).
Through all of life's uncertainties He asks us to be still in Him and trust Him. He promises us that He will continue to guide us and watch over us:
Certainly more difficult days lie ahead. We face so many unknowns. But as believers we have hope. We can know that He will fight for us (Exodus 14:14).
That does not guarantee that everything will go the way we want. His promises are not for our mere satisfaction - His promises are for our salvation. Difficulties lie ahead. That doesn't mean He is not there guiding us and leading us. It doesn't mean He has stopped fighting for us.
We have to have faith. We have to be still and trust that He is working in our lives and leading us towards His righteousness. We have to trust that behind the scenes of even the greatest hardship He is still fighting for us and loving us.
Sometimes His path will be easy - it will be the way we expect and the way we want to go. But other times His path will be hard. It will challenge us. Even through these challenges, however, we must keep the faith because He is in control. He holds this earth and everyone within it. He sent His Son to die for our sins and His spirit will sustain us and guide us when we seek Him first and keep our faith in all He is. In the midst of great trials Israel kept their faith and found themselves assured by His majesty and steadfast love. Let us continue to meditate on His word in these trying times and let us praise Him. Let us pursue Him. Let us keep the faith and trust that He is guiding us now towards His eternal glory.
Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised
in the city of our God.
His holy mountain, beautiful in elevation,
is the joy of all the earth,
Mount Zion, in the far north,
the city of the great King.
Within its citadels God
has shown himself a sure defense.
Then the kings assembled,
they came on together.
As soon as they saw it,
they were astounded;
they were in panic, they took to flight;
trembling took hold of them there,
pains as of a woman in labor,
as when an east wind shatters
the ships of Tarshish.
As we have heard, so we have seen
in the city of the Lord of hosts,
in the city of our God,
which God establishes forever.
We ponder your steadfast love, O God,
in the midst of your temple.
Your name, O God, like your praise,
reaches to the ends of the earth.
Your right hand is filled with victory.
Let Mount Zion be glad,
let the towns of Judah rejoice
because of your judgments.
Walk about Zion,
go all around it, count its towers,
consider well its ramparts;
go through its citadels,
that you may tell the next generation
that this is God,
our God forever and ever.
He will be our guide forever.
It is so easy to feel lost and discouraged. It is so simple to feel the need for a plan; the need for control. With all the current uncertainty surrounding us, it is so easy to feel anxious about what lies ahead.
This passage is a reminder that we belong to Him. It reminds us that He has established us forever through the gift of His Son Jesus Christ (Hebrews 1:1-3).
Through all of life's uncertainties He asks us to be still in Him and trust Him. He promises us that He will continue to guide us and watch over us:
The Lord watches over you, the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm, he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forever more (Psalm 121:5-8).
Certainly more difficult days lie ahead. We face so many unknowns. But as believers we have hope. We can know that He will fight for us (Exodus 14:14).
That does not guarantee that everything will go the way we want. His promises are not for our mere satisfaction - His promises are for our salvation. Difficulties lie ahead. That doesn't mean He is not there guiding us and leading us. It doesn't mean He has stopped fighting for us.
We have to have faith. We have to be still and trust that He is working in our lives and leading us towards His righteousness. We have to trust that behind the scenes of even the greatest hardship He is still fighting for us and loving us.
Sometimes His path will be easy - it will be the way we expect and the way we want to go. But other times His path will be hard. It will challenge us. Even through these challenges, however, we must keep the faith because He is in control. He holds this earth and everyone within it. He sent His Son to die for our sins and His spirit will sustain us and guide us when we seek Him first and keep our faith in all He is. In the midst of great trials Israel kept their faith and found themselves assured by His majesty and steadfast love. Let us continue to meditate on His word in these trying times and let us praise Him. Let us pursue Him. Let us keep the faith and trust that He is guiding us now towards His eternal glory.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-6).
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