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Psalm 46, read aloud
Psalm 46: Be still
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Listen to the opening, and read all eleven verses below.
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There is 0:23 more of Psalm 46 in Linen, where 40 psalms are read aloud at bedtime by Mia or by James, with a sleep timer.
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Psalm 46 World English Bible
For the Chief Musician. By the sons of Korah. According to Alamoth.
1God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
2Therefore we won’t be afraid, though the earth changes, though the mountains are shaken into the heart of the seas;
3though its waters roar and are troubled, though the mountains tremble with their swelling. Selah.
4There is a river, the streams of which make the city of God glad, the holy place of the tents of the Most High.
5God is within her. She shall not be moved. God will help her at dawn.
6The nations raged. The kingdoms were moved. He lifted his voice and the earth melted.
7The LORD of Armies is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
8Come, see the LORD’s works, what desolations he has made on the earth.
9He makes wars cease to the end of the earth. He breaks the bow, and shatters the spear. He burns the chariots in the fire.
10“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted on the earth.”
11The LORD of Armies is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
About Psalm 46
Psalm 46 is a song of the sons of Korah, a guild of temple singers. It is sung by a whole people rather than by one person: “God is our refuge.” Martin Luther drew on it for his hymn “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.”
It comes in three parts, each closed by “Selah,” which was probably a pause in the music. First the earth itself gives way and mountains shake into the sea. Then the nations rage. Through both, a refrain holds: “The LORD of Armies is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge.” (“LORD of Armies” is this translation's wording for what many Bibles give as “LORD of hosts.”)
Two lines are often lifted out of their setting. “God is within her. She shall not be moved” in verse 5 is about the city of God, not about an individual reader. And “Be still” in verse 10 is spoken over a battlefield, just after the bow is broken and the spear shattered; it is nearer to “stop” than to “relax.” The stillness comes from knowing who God is.
When to read Psalm 46
- When the news is frightening.
- When something you thought was solid has moved: a job, a diagnosis, a home.
- When you need to stop striving and be quiet for a minute.
A prayer from Psalm 46
God, you are our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Though the earth changes, help me not to be afraid. Quiet what is raging in me. Teach me to be still, and to know that you are God. Amen.