Psalm 46, Witness, & Intimacy with God

While in a prayer meeting a couple of weeks ago, the leader read from Psalm 46 to guide our prayers. When she read the following, the words triggered a couple of thoughts.

6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

7 The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.

One, who was the Psalmist addressing? Others within the fortress of God? Or yelling at (or over the top) to the nations approaching? If you return to the beginning or the end of the Psalm, you could plausibly make a case that the nations are addressed. The audience is not stated...so, for the moment: if it were the nations...

Two, the Psalmist describes God as a physical location that would protect against attack and store people and supplies in readiness for military assault. Protect and store: both. Ordinarily, one would not be surprised by a city within a fortress either.

What I sensed during our prayers is that to be with the Lord Jesus in a transparently public manner of living also leads to hostile or antagonistic opposition from others. And, it is precisely in such conflict that the Psalmist alerts us to the kind of intimacy with the Lord awaiting us. But, it's not an intimacy that insulates us from opposition to living in response to the Gospel: but, protection of some version gets proposed here; it sounds like reassurance and intimacy.

10 "Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth."

11 The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.

This might be worth considering for conversation: how does life together and sharing the good news lead you to know the Lord more intimately? How has increased intimacy with the Lord been true for you in the presence of opposition? What do you think?