Lent 24: Psalm 46

God is our refuge and strength

There is no certainty here.

This ground is not so solid.

The earth itself comes undone, falls into ruin,

Earthquake, volcano, tsunami

Break up the solid rock,

And the cries of the broken encircle the earth.

The mountains do not endure:

They erupt, they fall away,

And the everlasting hills are a geological moment.

The seas alter their boundaries,

The rivers run where they will,

And the terrible storms engulf us.

Do we know our God?

There is one river whose course cannot be dammed,

Flowing from the Eternal city

To the thirsty hearts of men.

There, where God dwells

No good can fall away,

No enemy destroy,

No rust take root,

And time is no despoiler.

All the works of our hands

Fall away, fall away;

But held in His hands

We endure.

For we are His.

Find your rest then

Beyond the boundaries of time,

Where the only map is love.

For the things unseen are more certain

Than the earth beneath our feet.

Our stronghold is the Lord