The Hook Of Our Heart

The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Psalm 46:7

ONE NEW YEAR’S EVE, my husband resolved to write one new worship song a week for the entire year. He volunteers as our church’s worship pastor and has done so for eighteen years, but songwriting has never been part of his regular rhythm. Sensing the joy, fun, and challenge of it all, he started songwriting as a way to commune with God through his gifts, and I loved hearing what he came up with.

When it comes to songs and worship, my favorite part is the chorus. The center point. The heart cry of the artist. And like this, Psalm 46 has a chorus that our hearts desperately need. As people who so often feel alone, vulnerable, and open to attack, we need a hook that brings us back to our center point. The hook in this psalm is a verse the psalmist repeats twice: “The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.”

If a verse is repeated, then we can see that God wants us to remember it. In this case, the psalmist is reminding us that we can cling to the fact that “the LORD of hosts is with us.” This means the One who is Lord over earthly and heavenly armies is right beside us. Even through the army of emotions we fight when life seems hard, He is Lord and He is with us.

The second part of the chorus says “the God of Jacob is our fortress.” This may sound strange. Why are we clinging to the God of Jacob? We don’t ever see God being called the God of Noah or the God of Moses. But the God of Jacob is mentioned nine times in the Psalms, so it must be important.

Author and Bible teacher Dr. Harold Sala says, “When you think about the phrase, “the God of Jacob,” you are talking about someone who was less than a role model, less than a benchmark, not exactly someone you would hold up as an example for your son to follow. When Jacob was absolutely desperate he turned to God, and God changed his life. I’m glad that God chose to be identified as “the God of Jacob,” because if God could change Jacob’s life, he can change yours and mine as well.”^a

This title for God is such good news! He allows Himself a title that essentially is God of all the messy humans. God who loves restoring broken choices and broken lives. What a chorus to have stuck in our brains. He never wants us to forget that He is the God who is with us. Grace is getting to call God the “God of Jacob,” knowing He is the God of you and me as well.

GRACE REFLECTION: Repeat the chorus, “The God of Jacob is with me.” What do those words personally mean to you? What do they tell us about God and His character?