The Fortress - Conclusion

He says, ‘Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. Psalms 46:10 NIVUK https://bible.com/bible/113/psa.46.10.NIVUK

During this short meditation, we have seen that God is in control of our situation. Because He is in control, He is able to tell both our situation and our worried, frantic minds to stop and realise who is truly running the show. We've also seen now He is able to break every attack by the nations - the people around us - and prevent their weapons from hurting us. And we've seen how He controls nature and can change even the most hostile situation for our good. When Typhoon Haiyan struck the island of Leyte, Philippines in November 2013, my wife's family's church was among many buildings in the village that were badly affected. During the rebuild, which was kindly paid for by our home church, all the light material structures were replaced with concrete so that the building would be less likely to be damaged next time around. An upper room was added to act as temporary accommodation and a store room for food aid. The church thus became a safe place during a storm where poor people could come and get help until their homes were repaired. Poor Filipinos living in houses made from light materials often take refuge in churches during storms. Churches tend to be better built. And this the right thing to do. Churches should be strongholds and refuges in times of trouble. Churches should offer food to the hungry, sanctuary to the homeless and the undocumented, those running away from ill-treatment, seeking to recover from substance abuse, seeking work or trying to learn a new language or skill. It is completely right we should seek to serve those in difficulty because that is what God does for us. But here comes the difficult question. When hard times hit you, what do you do? Do you complain on social media? Look for someone to blame? Become angry? Bitter? Depressed? When the disciples were caught in a storm on Lake Galilee and thought they would drown, Jesus did this: He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Quiet! Be still!’ Then the wind died lll and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, ‘Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?’ They were terrified and asked each other, ‘Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!’ Mark 4:39‭-‬41 NIVUK https://bible.com/bible/113/mrk.4.39-41.NIVUK

In Psalm 46:10, God does the exact same thing. He tells the attackers of His people to calm down, yes. But He also tells His people to do the same thing. If we fully realise that God will be exalted by rescuing us from the situation we are in, and giving us the strength to wait in the meantime, then our hearts will truly be still, our minds will no longer be racing, and we will face any situation in the calm assurance that we will be saved. The sons of Korah, who had seen God's greatness in the tales handed down through generations, believed it. We can surely believe it too. So, my friend, stop panicking and run to your Divine Stronghold. He will see you through this storm.