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The 46th...and The 47th, by Pastor Charlie Handren

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The 46th…and The 47th
By Pastor Charlie Handren

For the sixteenth-century Reformers, Psalm 46 was one of the most important Psalms. In our day, we tend to think of the Reformation as a theological movement but for them it was as much a political revolution as a battle over the Bible. The nations were indeed raging specifically because some courageous men and women took a stand for biblical truth and would not back down, even at the cost of their lives. Their families. Their countries.
It was, therefore, a great comfort for them to hear the blessed words of Psalm 46:10, “Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth.” This verse, and this Psalm, in fact became an anchor for their souls and for their movement, so much so that they came to refer to it as “The 46th.”
Each day I read a Psalm, and as the Lord would have it, I read The 46th early this week. The next day I read Psalm 47 and immediately wondered how I had never noticed the connection between it and The 46th, especially verse 10. Psalm 47 is fairly short, so let me quote it in its entirety.
1 Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy! 2 For the Lord, the Most High, is to be feared, a great king over all the earth. 3 He subdued peoples under us, and nations under our feet. 4 He chose our heritage for us, the pride of Jacob whom he loves. Selah
5 God has gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet. 6 Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises! 7 For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm! 8 God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne. 9 The princes of the peoples gather as the people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God; he is highly exalted!
So whereas Psalm 46:10 assures God’s people that he will be exalted among the nations—future tense—Psalm 47 provides a prophetic vision in which God’s exalted state is a reality. And although this prophecy has yet to be completely fulfilled, it did indeed come to pass in Jesus Christ who is seated at the right hand of the majesty on high where he reigns as the King of all kings and serves as our merciful High Priest.
There is a sense in which the Christian soul cries out to God, “Come, Lord Jesus, come!” And there is a sense in which the Christian soul rests in his ultimate reign over all persons and things as though the fullness of it has already come to pass. This is how faith works: no matter what our circumstances, we so trust in our Father’s promises that we receive his vision of the future as a present reality, and we receive the rest and joy that go along with it. May the Lord give us his rest and joy as we meditate on The 46th…and The 47th! 


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