There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy habitation of the Most High.
God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be moved;
God will help it when the morning dawns.
The nations are in an uproar, the kingdoms totter;
he utters his voice, the earth melts.
The LORD of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah
Come, behold the works of the LORD;
see what desolations he has brought on the earth.
He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields with fire.
“Be still, and know that I am God!
I am exalted among the nations,
I am exalted in the earth.”
The LORD of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our refuge. (Psalm 46:4-11)

God never gets dizzy on the merry-go-round of life. It is easy to let the whirling storms distract us, to get the better of us, to send us into a tizzy. But the reality is, despite how everything seems to be whirling around, despite how everything seems chaotic, that God is calmly in charge.

Israel was located at the crossroads of the world. All trade, all travel between the centers of world power in Mesopotamia in the north and Egypt in the south had to pass through the tiny nation of Israel. The only clear highways went straight through Israel’s heart: and it was a choke point. Whoever controlled the land of Israel controlled world trade and could make a fortune.

The nations around Israel longed to secure that thoroughfare. Seeking dominance, armies from the north and south passed through and met in battle on the hills of Israel. Israel suffered in the crossfire.

But it was not the nations that were in charge. Instead, God was overseeing it all and he would, some day, bring the conflict to an end. The weapons of war, the men of battle, all would be destroyed by the hand of God.

God can take the stormy heart, the heart raging with conflict, and give it peace. The strife, the disquiet, the confusion and pain of life, all can be pacified by the God of the universe.

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