St. Aidan's Anglican Church, Kansas City - Weekly Talks

Psalm 46 is a Psalm of Zion, now the completed People of God, the Church, redeemed Jew and Gentile, on earth and in heaven. Verse one inspired Luther’s “A Mighty Fortress is our God” and “the 46th” became a code word in his many times of trouble. He would simply say, the 46th. We read of a great apocalypse, perhaps the very end of the age, as earth gives way, mountains tremble, and all is swallowed up into the heart of the sea, and the faithful proclaim, we will not fear. Yam, the ancient Semitic word, meaning sea, is the name of the Canaanite god of rivers and the sea, transferred into the Hebrew Scriptures as a metaphor for chaos and death. He represents the power of the tempestuous sea, untamed and raging. Also called Nahar ("river"), he additionally ruled floods and related disasters. This is the image behind this turn of phrase. In this tempestuous world, we are God’s refugees, finding a very present help in time of trouble. Because God is our refuge and strength, his refugees pray and sing … WE W