Psalms 46:4
There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High. There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God because God Himself dwells in its midst as its refuge and strength and present help, so it is not moved though the earth is removed and the waters roar and the heathen rage, for He will help it at daybreak. The river is life-giving living water flowing from God's throne, the life streams from Jesus, that refresh the soul and give spiritual life and strength, which the saints on earth drink while angels drink from its source. These streams belong to the heavenly city to come, for which believers thirst and long, and when the redeemed enter the goodly land they will drink from them and behold Jesus and be changed into His glorious image and made like Him. This stream must continually revive spiritual life day by day by staying united with the Source of all power, keeping Christ in the work through continual prayer, yielding reason and intelligence to God, and being settled and grounded in truth while holding fast the Word. Worldly cares and business cut people off from this source and leave them spiritually depleted and self-centered, so the verse belongs to the confession by which God's people refuse fear and despondency and keep trusting in the Lord and bearing testimony in faith as long as life lasts.
River Gladdens God's City
The city is the holy dwelling of the Most High, made glad because God Himself is present in its midst. He is the refuge and strength and present help of His people in trouble, so the city is not moved or shaken. Though the earth is removed and the waters roar and the heathen rage, He will help it at daybreak.
The river and its streams are pure life-giving living water flowing from God's throne. They are the life streams from Jesus that refresh the soul and spirit and give spiritual life and strength. The saints on earth drink from these pure streams while angels drink from their source. This shows one spiritual provision shared by God's people on earth and the heavenly church.
Hope of Heavenly Joy
The living streams belong to the heavenly city, and make it glad with the joy of heaven. That city is heaven itself, the good and bright world to come. The verse gives voice to the believer's thirst for those streams and longing to be there.
The redeemed will drink from the streams of the city of God when they enter the goodly land. There they will behold Jesus who gave His life for them. They will be changed into His glorious image and made like Him.
Daily Renewal for Service
The stream that makes glad the city of God is the provision by which spiritual life must be continually revived by God day by day. It is a life-giving spiritual supply given to God's people for daily renewal. This day-by-day reviving keeps zeal and watchfulness from failing.
Drinking from these life streams is receiving spiritual life and strength from God, with discernment and strength for service flowing from Jesus. It is staying united with the Source of all power. It is keeping Christ in the work through prayer, with prayers continually ascending, yielding reason and intelligence to God and putting eternal things first. It is being settled and grounded in truth while holding fast the Word.
Worldly cares and business can keep people from this source and leave them spiritually depleted. Those who assume burdens too heavy to stop to pray leave Jesus out. They become self-centered and absorbed in commercial business and worldly profit, robbing God of nerve-brain power. They cannot distinguish between the common and the sacred, do bungling botched work, and cannot keep awake at meeting. Instead of drinking these life streams and the snow of Lebanon, they have drunk malarious streams in the valley.
The verse belongs to the confession by which God's people keep trust in the Lord and refuse fear and despondency. It calls gospel workers who are sad and pressed by satanic opposition to remember their work of preaching the gospel to every creature. They are to continue bearing testimony in faith in whatever position they are as long as life lasts, without despondency. So drinking the life streams is true religion and is necessary to enter the kingdom of God.