Week 7

I’ve lived in Tucson for a total of 16 years and one of my favorite things about living here are the mountains, which surround the city on three sides. No matter where in the city you are, you can catch a glimpse of them and experience their magnificence as they stand strong and watch over the city in return. I’m drawn to the experience of driving north on Houghton and encountering the mass that is Mount Lemmon, the presence of which is unavoidably felt as one is reminded of its ability to change climates as it ascends. But for as permanent and powerful these mountains may seem, they are not ultimately our source of security.

In the first stanza, the psalmist depicts the earth changing and mountains being thrown into the sea, reminding us that what seems the most permanent and secure can fail us. They are replaced by that which is ever changing and threatening. Despite this, the psalmist proclaims that it is in God that they find security and strength and that it is God that is there in times of uncertainty. In situations like this we are tempted to rely on our own strength or something else in creation, but we should look to He who has ultimate strength instead.

God not only has the ability to protect and secure us from trouble, he can take that which was trouble for us and turn it into our joy. The threatening, chaotic waters that were the mountain’s undoing, became a stream for the pleasure of God’s people. God’s people were still surrounded by the chaos of the nations around them, but they were not moved. God speaks and security for God’s people is realized once again.

God will eventually eliminate all sources of destruction. Currently, even though God is with us, we are subject to loss and destruction. But a day is coming when God will eliminate everything which causes these things and God’s people will live in peace. We await this day and we acknowledge who God is in the meantime. We acknowledge that He is not like the things of creation, He is permanent and secure. Through Him, His people will not be moved, chaos will not overtake them. We know God is victorious in the end which is why we say, “God is our figure and strength, a very present help in times of trouble.”