“Though the Earth Give Way”

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Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea. – Psalm 46:2

“Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10a) For most of my life I have heard that verse quoted by itself as a sweet reminder that the Lord is beckoning us to leave the everyday stress of life, come away and spend time with Him. And while that is certainly a good idea for each of us to practice daily, in the context in which it was written, it has another meaning that’s quite different.

This verse is taken from a Psalm that is both comforting and disturbing. It starts and ends with reassurance that as bad as things get, God is with Israel, her refuge (external) and strength (internal).

But these verses are interspersed with apocalyptic scenes – the earth giving way, the mountains falling into the sea, and the sea roaring and foaming. Along with these “natural” disasters are nations all around them “in uproar” and kingdoms falling, followed by the breathtaking statement, “he lifts his voice, the earth melts.”

Reading this Psalm, I can’t help thinking that this must be what the people of Israel are feeling today, as their world, which was not exactly peaceful and carefree before, has in one day broken out into the chaos, violence, and tragedy of an all-out war. (I won’t describe it here, as you’ve probably already heard enough details to be sickened.)

The descriptions that precede the well-known verse about “being still” are of the Lord’s making wars cease. He’s not bringing peace in a “Come, let us reason together” manner (Man has obviously not heeded that admonition.), but rather by breaking bows, shattering the spears, and burning the shields with fire. Clearly, this is a picture of a God who has seen Mankind warring endlessly and has had enough.

“BE STILL!” It’s not an invitation, it’s a rebuke.

” – and know that I AM God.” It’s a command from the only One who can make that claim.

Many of us who have read the scriptures concerning the “End Times” are seeing what’s happening in Israel as a fulfillment of prophecy. Jesus warned that “then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now – and never to be equaled again.” (Matthew 24:21) The prophet Ezekiel described events similar to Psalm 46 – see Ezekiel 38 and 39. What’s happened in the past week might look like the fulfillment of the End Times prophesies, but there are still pieces missing. For example, throughout the world there has been support and sympathy for Israel, but in the end, Scripture says, there will be none; it will be Israel vs the rest of the world.

(“But God … ” )

As many of you know, I was led nearly twenty years ago to pray daily against terrorism, and I have seen that prayer answered in some remarkable ways. I used to collect articles in a folder describing terror attacks that failed for one reason or another. (My favorites were the stories about would-be terrorists who providentially “failed,” came to know Christ, and are now evangelizing their world.) But one day as I was sharing this prayer mission with my sister, the conversation turned to the prophecies of the Apocalypse. My sister asked me if it made sense for me to be praying against something that God has already said is going to happen.

Good question.

In pondering these things, I have considered that praying for individuals isn’t counter to the predictions for the world in general, and that maybe the conversions of individual would-be terrorists are answers to my prayers. Foiled attacks on larger populations, such as the car bomb that failed to detonate in Times Square, might not contradict the general prediction of rising terrorism. Could prayer possibly be postponing the inevitable, while the Lord salvages a few more souls?

Whatever the case is, until I sense the Lord’s telling me otherwise, I will continue to pray against evil and for those whose job it is to protect the innocent.

I would be interested in your thoughts on this. Feel free to share them in the comments.

Meanwhile, here is the comforting, sobering Psalm 46 to meditate on today:

God is our refuge and strength,
       an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
       and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
   though its waters roar and foam
       and the mountains quake with their surging.

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
       the holy place where the Most High dwells.
God is within her; she will not fall;
       God will help her at break of day.
Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
       he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

The Lord Almighty is with us; 
       the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Come and see the works of the Lord,
       the desolations he has brought on the earth.
He makes wars cease to the ends 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 will be exalted among the nations,
       I will be exalted in the earth. 

The Lord Almighty is with us;
       the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Prayer: Lord God, we are in awe of Your power and overwhelmed by our own frailty. Our hearts ache for Your people in Israel and for the innocent ones on both sides who are caught in the conflict with nowhere to go. Bless those who are going to the war zone to help the hurting, especially those who are going in Your name. Help the victims of this world’s evil to find their hope in You, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

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Published by seekingdivineperspective

I am a forgiven sinner and adopted child of God, seeking to see life from His perspective - as opposed to the world's flawed perspective - and living my life accordingly.

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35 thoughts on ““Though the Earth Give Way””

  1. Amen and amen!
    I appreciate your in-context description of “be still” as a rebuke rather than an invitation. It’s so frustrating to see how the enemy of souls twists the truth. Same tactic since the beginning and foolish mankind still falls for it.

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      1. After reading your post I went through my own writings, this seemed very familiar. It so happens, in March of 2022, I wrote a devotion on this very topic and Psalm 46:10.

        I’ve not posted it on my blog because I submitted the piece for publication with Guideposts. They accepted two devotions for publication and asked if they could hang on to the “be still” one for possible publication in a future book. Confirmation of the truth–the Spirit is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

        It’s interesting, the CSB translation uses “stop fighting” rather than “be still”. Stop fighting makes the rebuke element so clear. We don’t “invite” people to stop fighting we tell them, command it, and insist upon it. That’s a way different picture than the contrasted image most conjure up. We often see Psalm 46:10 on pretty posters or, screensavers, etc. as an image depicting sweet serenity.

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  3. Many thanks for this. How quickly we forget the importance of context! Thankfully, we are not yet at the end times. You have too many prayers to speak in order to save many souls!🙏✝️

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  5. I am reminded of Philippians 4:6-7, one of my favorite passages.
    “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
    Yes, I believe we should pray about everything! Great post! Blessings, Annie!

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  6. You make a really good point about, “thy will be done.” So how do I know if I am praying within the Lord’s will? Sometimes I have prayed for addicted people like, “Lord please keep them out of jail and out of the hospital, ” when in fact winding up in jail or the hospital might be the best thing that could even happen to them. Sure beats winding up in the morgue.

    At the end of the day I just do my best, always with the caveat “thy will be done,” trusting that the Lord is not going to grant me any prayers that do harm or make things worse. I can’t always see the big picture, so it’s really good that God has not placed the fate of the world entirely in my hands, LOL!

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    1. Good point, I.B. Sometimes the best thing that can happen to someone is that extremely unpleasant wake-up call. If a gentle tap on the shoulder doesn’t do it, the Lord will take it up a notch. For some, nothing short of whack with a two-by-four will get the person’s attention.

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  7. I have wondered this myself. I decided that God wants me to love others as myself so I should keep praying for their salvation, peace, and safety, even though we are moving towards the end. We don’t know if the end will be soon or another 10,000 years. On another note, I am starting to see people coming out of the woodwork with their eschatology views this week. Interesting that so many do not believe in the rapture anymore.

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    1. Paula, I doubt it will be another 10,000 years. Jesus gave us signs to look for that lets us know the end is near. It’s just the day and time we won’t know precisely. Whenever it is, I want to be ready. And I want my loved ones ready, too. We’re told the Shepherd would separate the sheep from the goats, but He didn’t name names. I will continue to pray for certain people to be moved from one group to the other. 😉

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  8. We are moving towards the end. But we do not know the exact time. The Lord’s plan will go on but I do think we are called to pray. While his will is carried out, I do not think his love, mercy and compassion on those who call upon his name will be absent, it just might be in a different way than we expect.

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    1. Interesting perspective, Manu. Thanks for your comment. And yes, we are called to pray! And yes, the answers are frequently different from what we’re watching for. I used to tell my children God will either give you what you ask for or something better. Although “better” sometimes means patience, strength, endurance, and other things that aren’t fun to obtain. 😉

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      1. Sorry Annie. There was a typo. I meant to say will not be absent. His love compassion and mercy will very much be present but it might look different. As you said patience, endurance strength and so much more.

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  11. Hi Annie, sorry for the delayed response. In Matthew 5:44, it is written, “But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” By praying for those who intend harm, we demonstrate our deep faith in God’s ability to transform hearts and situations. It also allows us to uphold the values of forgiveness and love, which are central to our Christian faith. Jesus demonstrated this Himself on the cross in Luke 23:24 and considering that it is not God’s will that any should perish (2 Peter 3:9), we are praying for those as we ourselves would want to be prayed for, if we were in their shoes (Matthew 7:12). Not to mention, God knows the intent of our heart when we lift others up in prayer. If we have received God’s grace, we are to give it to others, this also is God’s will. And what the other person(s) has done or is doing does not nullify the grace and truth that is available in Jesus (John 1:17). Keep praying, Annie. Blessings!

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  14. Pingback: “Though the Earth Give Way” – QuietMomentsWithGod

  15. I also was so very blessed to read this post, Annie. What a powerful insight, that “Be still!” is a rebuke! As soon as I read that, Jesus rebuking the storm with those very words came to mind. It’s amazing, in all these years of hearing and seeing that verse quoted and made into art/mugs/posters etc., that this is the verse time I’ve come across this insight. So grateful.

    My thoughts on praying against terrorism are 100% keep going for it. We know from Scripture that it is the revealed will of God that none should perish. You are praying according to His heart when you ask for lives to be spared from being extinguished by terrorism — those very lives can then have more time on earth in which to come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. It is my belief that the enemy would like to speed up the end-times events, attempting to get the end to come quicker so that less souls would be saved for eternity. So when we pray for them to be slowed down, we are praying with God’s heart for the maximum amount of salvations to come in.

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    1. Jennifer, I believe you’re absolutely right! Thank you for such wonderful insights. Yes, the prophets tell us about End Times events involving masses of people, but the path of each individual is not revealed yet. As long as there is breath in them, there is hope for their salvation.

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      1. Exactly! I was freshly reminded of this a few weeks ago. A close friend of my oldest daughter finally received Jesus after years and years of prayer for him. He died three days later. He was bought by the blood of the Lamb just in time!

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  16. It is interesting how Psalm 46:10 is often taken out of context..
    the Bible clearly tells us to love and pray for our enemies so I too agree with praying for those doing harm, that God might grab their heart.

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