The question arises: if God has created all things to work for His glory by unifying them to establish the sure foundation of His government, how can His elect find rest when creation experiences disorder and catastrophe? The answer lies in the redemptive work of God. He has redeemed His people by pronouncing curses against all their opposition. He has equipped His people with the pronouncements of His law, covenants, curses, statutes, decrees, and promises, enabling them to rise in unity and praise Him. As Psalm 46:10 declares, "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." This call to stillness is an invitation to recognize God's sovereignty and to exalt Him amidst the chaos. God created us in His image, and when humanity fell into sin, God pronounced a curse upon creation. This curse was an expression of His righteous anger and a means to address the corruption introduced by sin. Psalm 46:8 invites us to "Come and see the works of the LORD, the desolations he has brought on the earth." This verse serves as a profound reminder of the sovereignty and omnipotence of God. It speaks to the divine orchestration behind all events, illustrating that nothing occurs outside the purview of God's eternal decree. From before the dawn of creation, God, in His infinite wisdom and eternal counsel, determined both the beginning and the end of all things. Every event that unfolds in the tapestry of creation is set into motion by God's pronouncements of blessings and curses from His heavenly throne. The book of Revelation vividly portrays these divine pronouncements through the imagery of the seal of God upon His elect and the smoke that ascends from the earth and descends from the throne. Psalm 46 elaborates on this, emphasizing God's sovereign decisions in pronouncing blessings or curses as He brings all things into existence. The Psalmist draws a parallel between God's visible display of desolations as judgments and our human struggle to find rest and peace in Him amidst earthly turmoil. In summary, Psalm 46 invites us to witness the mighty works of the Lord and to understand the profound significance of His judgments and blessings. It calls us to trust in God's sovereignty, to find rest in His divine will, and to rise in unity to praise Him, knowing that He is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. On one hand, God decreed the perfect order of His creation, which brought Him the highest pleasure and glory. On the other hand, He responded to the fall with a curse to end the corruption that marred His creation. In pronouncing creation into existence, God displayed His blessings by maintaining control over all things in the highest pleasure. In pronouncing the curse, He displayed His power by overcoming the opposition. These divine pronouncements are given to us so that we might exercise control over all opposition and bring glory to God. As Psalm 46:7 reassures us, "The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah." As we rise to oppose corruption, we are infused with divine power to reestablish the unity of the garden. In doing so, we are increasingly able to exalt God's work and find rest in that divine work. Psalm 46:1 affirms, "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble." In times of chaos and disaster, when the very foundations of the world seem to crumble, we are reminded of our calling to exercise dominion over creation in accordance with God's perfect order. God's perfect justice was initially displayed through humanity's unhindered success in ruling His garden. After the fall, God reestablished human success in overcoming opposition through the pronouncement of the curse. Today, we continue to push back the evil curse by upholding God's perfect judgments as revealed in His law. God has revealed these pronounced judgments in the Psalms to encourage us to align our desires with His divine will, thereby experiencing holy rest. The teaching here is profound: even as we confront earthly disasters, we are called to create order by trusting in God's faithfulness to His covenant people. God pronounces curses from His throne to demonstrate His unwavering commitment to His purposes and to His people. As Psalm 46:6 states, "Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts." This verse underscores the power of God's voice and His control over all creation.