August 18, 2021
Jaime Jordan-- Frontiers USA
Jaime and Will Jordan have served for many years with Frontiers USA. Jaime now serves as a Field Coach, coaching new missionaries headed into the mission field of the Muslim world.
Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. 2 So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea. 3 Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge! 4 A river brings joy to the city of our God, the sacred home of the Most High. 5 God dwells in that city; it cannot be destroyed. From the very break of day, God will protect it. 6 The nations are in chaos, and their kingdoms crumble! God’s voice thunders, and the earth melts! 7 The LORD of Heaven’s Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress. 8 Come, see the glorious works of the LORD: See how he brings destruction upon the world. 9 He causes wars to end throughout the earth. He breaks the bow and snaps the spear; he burns the shields with fire. 10 “Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.” 11 The LORD of Heaven’s Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress. Psalm 46:10. You see it everywhere, in fancy calligraphy in fellowship halls and living rooms. Actually, you only see the first half of the verse. Be still, and know that I am God! Out of context of the rest of the Psalm and only using the first sentence, it seems that these words of the Psalmist are for us in the midst of a busy day, or to help steady us when we have personal worries. But that isn’t the point of the Psalm. The second half of the verse is.
Be still, and know that I am God SO THAT I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.
Nations are in turmoil right now. Our family lived and served in Afghanistan for more than 16 years and we are watching with broken hearts as it disintegrates into another bloody civil war. But we are not without hope and neither is Afghanistan! The whole of Psalm 46 tells us, from the opening verses to the last one, that God is our help and our refuge and He is our help in times of unimaginable distress.
I would encourage you to read this Psalm with missions in mind. God longs for every nation to know Him, every people to praise Him in their language and when it seems that places like Afghanistan are out of reach of the gospel, we know the second half of verse ten to be true:
I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.
Please pray for Afghanistan. Pray for peace, for safety for her citizens and for the missionaries who stay and for those who have had to evacuate in the last month.
But most of all, pray that the seeds of the gospel that have been faithfully sown in that country for decades, will take root and grow and that the Christian believers in Afghanistan will not lose heart, but know that God is their refuge and their shield.
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