THERE IS A RIVER
Key Verses (3): 1, 4, 10. “ God is our Refuge…” (v.1); “There is a River…” (v.4) “Be still, and know…” (v.10)
Key Theme: God as Refuge to His people and Exalted over Nations.
Key Descriptives of God: Refuge; Strength; A Very Present Help; He who Ends Wars; Lord of Hosts
What a powerful Psalm we are privileged to look into today. It touched, moved, and secured me in just reading it and soaking in who He is. I had to pick 3 key verses but literally not one of the 11 verses is “fluff”. I can’t imagine a more encouraging Psalm for us in the midst of the challenges of 2020. It is for His people in any situation and in every nation— no matter how strong their challenges might be.
GOD IS OUR REFUGE
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” (v.1) “Refuge” is MACHACEH in Hebrew and means “a shelter from storms, dangers and lies.” We need Him for all of these— STORMS, DANGERS, and LIES. It lets us know that the presence of these is not a sign that He is not being our Refuge and our Strength. You never know Him as Refuge without “storms, dangers, and lies”. You never know Him as Strength unless you feel too weak for what you face. He further announces Himself as A VERY PRESENT HELP in all these troubles and what a description to pause a moment and fully soak in. He is still Emmanuel— “God WITH us”. We have over celebrated Him as A VERY FUTURE HELP and so have diminished Him as this not just PRESENT HELP, but VERY PRESENT HELP. You don’t get to know Him as such unless you experience VERY PRESENT DANGERS. God clearly did not put us on earth to ideally have no challenges. Christ being formed in us does not take place in a monastic environment of peace but right in the middle of war, challenges, and contradictions.
THEREFORE WE SHALL NOT FEAR
This, the first line of verse two is an anchor for our soul especially in 2020 where fear has raged and roared. Fear is the great pandemic of 2020. We are not promised ideal circumstances but we are promised to be delivered from fear. That is the test. Being fearless is also something not developed in a monastically but on a battlefield.
EVEN THOUGH
Four times the Psalmist will say EVEN THOUGH, AND THOUGH or THOUGH. “Even though the earth be removed” (v.2), “And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the seas” (v.2), “Though its waters roar and be troubled” (v.3) “Though the mountains shake” (v.3). In other words, the presence of great earthquakes or huge hurricanes is not proof God isn’t VERY PRESENT. The “mountains” speak of the realms of power and influence. They as well can be experiencing great instability and He is still available as REFUGE to His people.
THERE IS A RIVER
“There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God.” (v.4) “The River” is described in Ezekiel 47 and if you have the time, go be encouraged by that reading as well. He is His own River and everywhere He goes He brings life and healing to the nations. “Streams” means it is not just localized in one place but made available everywhere there is a “city of God”. There is a reason we use the term “live streaming” to describe the ability to connect with an original source as if you are there. “City” is IYR in Hebrew and it means “a place guarded by waking or a watch— in the widest sense (even a mere encampment or post)”. Any regular meeting place that you can hallow is eligible to be “a city of God” and to receive the streams that MAKE GLAD. Is that not amazing? Identify your “city of God” and make sure you get in those streams today.
HELP AT THE BREAK OF DAWN
“God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.” If there was any doubt we are confirmed that GOD IS IN THE MIDST of His River turning our “post” into His city and that He is there as HELP. The last phrase JUST AT THE BREAK OF DAWN can be taken two ways. One is that He is there from the very earliest moments of a test or secondly that He waits to show up at the very last moment of the night. Sometimes it can feel like the second option is happening more than the first. As is frequently said, “He is never late, but He is also rarely early.”
KINGDOMS CRUMBLE
“The nations are in chaos, and their kingdoms crumble! God’s voice thunders and the earth melts!” (v.6 NLT) This is truly what is taking place in 2020. God’s voice is thundering and nations are being called into order. Many cities and regions experiencing very unusual thunder and lightning are getting a clear sign from heaven that He is on the scene with some accountability for those who do evil. “Kingdoms crumble” are “kingdoms” on the 7 Mountains that are being demolished. Financial “kingdoms”, Media “kingdoms”, government “kingdoms”, Harvard/Yale “kingdoms”, Hollywood “kingdoms”, Planned Parenthood “kingdoms”, and false church “kingdoms” are all being thundered upon and crumbling. It is an active volcanic zone.
HE MAKES WARS TO CEASE
“Come, behold the works of the Lord, Who has made DESOLATIONS in the earth. HE MAKES WARS TO CEASE to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two, He burns the chariot in the fire.” (v.8,9). In this amazing verse, He lets us know that ENDING WARS is fully within His wheelhouse of capabilities. We worship, praise, and adore Him as such today. The word “desolations” is unnerving but it has dual meanings— “waste, horror, astonishment, wonderful thing.” It all depends on whose side you are on whether it is a “horror” or “wonderful thing”. For ANTIFA and the like think “horror”. “The way of the transgressor is hard”. For peacemakers and ministers of reconciliation think “wonderful thing”.
BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD
“Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” (v.10) “ Be still” is RAPHAH meaning “relax, let go, slacken, abate”. Perhaps we could add RESET. “And know” is in Hebrew YADA which is a very deep, thorough “know”. That is the same word used in Genesis when it says “And Adam knew Eve” and she conceived. This verse should be ruminated on all day. Do not think He is coming to rapture/rescue us until He has been exalted among the nations and exalted in the earth. He does not come when being “ignored among the nations” and so know that He is not coming now. His fame and not His ignominy precedes His return. The good news is that 2020 will go down in history as a definitive game-changing year. It officially shifts and sifts us into a new kingdom era.
THE LORD OF HOSTS IS WITH US
Twice, (verses 7 and 11) we are given the exact same message. God is VERY PRESENT and WITH HIS ANGEL ARMIES. This has never been more true. Never have we been under such sinister, heavily plotted, global danger and so never have we been so accompanied by heaven’s angel armies. God doesn’t NEED a one of them— but being the relational, inclusive person He is, He loves sub-delegating some of His tasks to angel armies. They are everywhere in mass— and so in your prayers and decrees make sure to acknowledge their presence and ask/instruct that they be released. That then becomes part of OUR task in cooperating with God. We pray, we vote, we love. We show up expanding the reach of His River. We stop listening to fear— even if it comes from “prophets” or religious leaders of influence. ANY warning that is not undergirded with hope is not Him. Eliminate that voice from your diet or you will go from GOD IS OUR REFUGE to GOD IS OUR EXASPERATED JUDGE and you will drown in dread. Of course, if you are the “deep state” this may be in fact how you experience God at this time, but He is available for better than that.
Written by: Johnny Enlow
Featured Image by chris ganser on Unsplash
67 DAY COUNTDOWN SERIES
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The 67 Day Countdown Series is brought to you by Johnny and Elizabeth Enlow, founders of Restore7 ministry, as well as international speakers and best-selling authors. Among Johnny’s books are The Seven Mountain Prophecy, The Seven Mountain Mantle, Rainbow God, The Seven Mountain Renaissance, Becoming A Superhero, and RISE. Elizabeth serves as CEO and penned Rainbow God: The Seven Colors of Love and God in Every Season.
