Christ in All of Scripture - Psalm 46:1-3
a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah
As Immanuel (“God with us”), Jesus is the personification of this psalm. For Jesus himself is our present refuge and future victory. God’s past record of strong protection for his people is a present comfort to the psalmist; it is “well proved” (v. 1). Even if the unthinkable should occur—even the implosion of the earth—God’s faithfulness to his promises drives away fear (vv. 2–3).
The Christian’s confidence is even more certain because Christ personally promised to be with us to the “end of the age” (Matt. 28:20). Like a secret aqueduct to a besieged city, God’s grace convinces the psalmist that the church will not only survive any onslaught but also will thrive in joy (Ps. 46:4-7). Jesus specifically revealed that the Holy Spirit is that means of grace who causes “rivers of living water” to flow from the heart of the believer (John 7:37–39).
Amid “wars and rumors of wars” (Matt. 24:6), both Old and New Testament believers are buttressed with the confidence that all the kingdoms of this world will one day become the “kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever” (Rev. 11:15), thus fulfilling God’s covenant promise to Abraham (Gen. 12:1–3). Keeping our eyes on King Jesus, we must courageously witness for Christ to the ends of the earth (cf. Ps. 46:9) until the nations are given to Christ as his inheritance (Acts 1:8; 2:34–35).
This series of posts pairs a brief passage of Scripture with associated study notes drawn from the Gospel Transformation Bible.
