The God of Jacob is our Fortress

Psalm 46 says, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth be removed, though the mountains be cast into the sea. Though the waters roar and are troubled, and though the mountains shake with its swelling.” And this is all because there is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place, the tablernacle of the Most High. God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her at the break of dawn.” The psalmist says that the nations rage, the kingdoms are shaken and this is because God Himself speaks and shouts and thunders causing the earth to melt. But the Lord of Armies is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge.

Therefore, what shall we fear? The Lord of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Do you fear losing your job, losing your loved ones? Do you fear sickness? Pain? Death? Do you fear war? Do you fear natural disaster? Do you worry for your children? But the Lord of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God. This is one of the glorious marks of the people of God. In the midst of the storm, in the midst of pain, in the midst of tumult, there is a river that makes glad the city of God. That river is the Spirit of God making God with Us, reminding us, comforting us, defending us. And this is one of the great marks of the Spirit down through the ages. How could Jesus forgive the soldiers that crucified Him? How could the martyrs melting in the flames sing songs of praise with their final gasps of air? How have missionaries and saints down through the ages laughed in the face of calamity? How have they smiled at their enemies? How have they endured persecution and hunger and mistreatment and misfortune? There is a river that makes glad the city of God. The Lord of Armies is with us. The God of Jacob is our fortress. We are safe. We are secure. We cannot be moved. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in every trouble. This is the city of God, this is the holy place, the dwelling of the Most High, and here we defy every evil power. We defy all guilt and accusation. We defy every sickness, every lie, all oppression, and all the works of the Devil. We are safe in the fortress of God Almighty. The Lord of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. So cast away your sins of worry and fear, anxiety and unbelief. Throw it all down and walk in the light of the truth.