"A River To Make A City Glad” Part 2 Series

“A River to Make a City Glad” Psalm 46:4-7, Part 2

God is our Protector

We saw last week that God alone is our shelter and fortress for any and all calamities which attack us externally, but He is also an internal strength, whereby we are always renewed as we turn to Him. He is an always-present, never-failing God in trouble, during trouble, and through trouble. GOD IS OUR PROTECTOR. Therefore (a very large and meaningful word in scripture, THEREFORE) we never need to fear even if the earth is destroyed, and someday it will be destroyed: Jesus promised, “Heaven and Earth will pass away, but my Word will never pass away.”

Psalm 46:1-3: God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.

2 Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;

3 Though its waters roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah (Pause: think about it!)

Today we look at the powerful Words of God in vs. 4-7 in Ps. 46.

4 There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High. 5 God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.

6 The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved; He uttered His voice, the earth melted.

7 The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah (Pause: think about it!)

God Is Our Pleasure (vs. 4)

Let’s center on verse 4 for a few minutes: “There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High.” What a huge change in the teaching of “water”! Last week in verses 2 & 3 we saw mountains tumbling into the sea causing a colossal, cataclysmic roaring of troubled waters and now we view a river whose streams “make glad the city of God.”

There actually is not any large river flowing through the city of God, which is Jerusalem, the Holy Place of the Most High God. There is a stream, much like the Jordan River, which turns into a river at certain times of the year. The stream of our text, flows through Jerusalem as a life-giving sweet stream, filling small canals along the way so that the city of God greatly rejoices. The canals or channels would not exist without the stream. They are filled from the stream, and so you are a channel of God’s life if you believe in Him for your existence. “God is our pleasure.” We worship Him! The Worship of Our God has Him at the center of our lives! We joy in Him alone. With Him, life and joy abound. Psalm 16:11 says: “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” What an absolutely beautiful image!

Notice: she will not be moved…The people in the city rejoice in their safety within the city’s walls. Because of the presence of God, we will not be moved. Because He is a very present, never-failing help in trouble, our safety and our gladness and our joy are secure. When everything else feels like it’s impossible to enjoy, when Satan threatens to undo us and rob us of all joy, we can raise our eyes and realize we are in the city of God. God is with us! And one day, we will be with Him face to face in the new heavens and new earth. Nothing can steal this joy. More than that, we know we will wake up the tomorrow and God will still be with us to help us again. There will be new mercies every morning, mercies that will be enough for that day.

Rivers are a sign of Life in the Bible; Wherever God is and wherever He “lives”, there is life.

In Ezekiel 47:1-12, we see the abundant life which flows from the Holy presence of God:

1 Then he brought me back to the door of the temple; and there was water, flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east, for the front of the temple faced east; the water was flowing from under the right side of the temple, south of the altar.

2 He brought me out by way of the north gate, and led me around on the outside to the outer gateway that faces east; and there was water, running out on the right side.

3 And when the man went out to the east with the line in his hand, he measured one thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the water came up to my ankles.