"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging."
Psalm 46:1-3 NIV
I have never seen the earth give way or mountains fall into the heart of the sea. The description the psalmist used in these verses is very vivid. I can visualize what this might look like. Although I have never seen this actually happen, I have had trouble in my life that felt like the earth was giving way and the mountains were falling into the heart of the sea.
I love how the psalmist began this passage of Scripture, with God! He stated from the very beginning of verse one, "God is..." As a declaration, he stated that the Great I Am "is (italics mine) our refuge and strength, an ever-present help." Tucked in between "God is" and the descriptions of who He is, sits the word "our". My friends, the God of the universe, who made the earth, the mountains and the seas, and you and me, is personal and relational. He is our God! He is our refuge and strength...He is our ever-present help. The Great I Am...God is our...ever-present help! Am, is, and ever-present are all in the present tense. He is with us right now, in the present.
I know that when trouble comes in my life, when the earth gives way and the mountains fall, I ask God to help me immediately. I don't wait. He is "an" ever-present help. He is my ever-present help. There have been times when I have asked for help immediately and knew that He did. There have been other times that it didn't appear that He was helping me right away or at all. He hasn't always helped me the way I thought he would, should, or when I thought, but He was working nonetheless. He is an ever-present help. He is ever-present. He is always aware of what is going on in the details of our lives. His presence abides with us. He is our with us God...and He is with us in our times of trouble.
In John 16:33, Jesus told His disciples, "I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." Jesus guaranteed His disciples that they would have trouble in this world. He didn't tell them they might have trouble; He told them they would have trouble. Even though He said they would have trouble, He reassured them that He was still in control, had overcome the world, and they could have peace in Him, their ever-present help.
Jesus offers that same peace to us in our trouble. He is our peace. "But take heart!" Even though we have trouble, we know who our God is! In verse 2 of Psalm 46, the psalmist, after declaring who God is, said, "Therefore we will not fear...". Knowing who our God is...our refuge, strength, and ever-present help, we can confidently and with trust say: Therefore, we will not fear, though the doctor bills come, though the car breaks down, though we face job losses, though our spouse wants divorce, though our children are sick, though grief is overwhelming, though loss, hurt, and betrayal shake us to our core, though depression and anxiety try to discourage us, etc. Even though we face these troubles and so many more every day, we will not fear because God is our refuge, God is our strength, God is our ever-present help!
If we are honest, if I am honest, I know who my God is, but I still struggle with fear. Is anybody else with me? It is one of the things that I face that causes me trouble. Fear can be a trouble that accompanies our other troubles. Even though I struggle with fear, I keep reminding myself that my God is with me and decide to keep trusting Him. I love that the psalmist included the words, "Therefore we will not fear..." He made a declaration in the future about troubles he described in the present tense. So, I too, can declare that I will not fear, though my fear is trying to take me down. I will not fear, though my troubles are devastating, overwhelming, etc. The psalmist made a decision, not based on his emotions, but on his relationship with the Lord, that he would not fear, even though the earth gave way and the mountains fell into the heart of the sea. I don't know his intent on using those words, but I am sure he faced trouble in his life that made his situations seem that way. Trouble will come, but the peace of God is offered to us to sustain, strengthen, and carry us victoriously through our trouble. I am so grateful to have a personal God who is ever-present in these times! Even though trouble comes, GOD IS!
written by Heather H. McDevitt
If we are honest, if I am honest, I know who my God is, but I still struggle with fear. Is anybody else with me? It is one of the things that I face that causes me trouble. Fear can be a trouble that accompanies our other troubles. Even though I struggle with fear, I keep reminding myself that my God is with me and decide to keep trusting Him. I love that the psalmist included the words, "Therefore we will not fear..." He made a declaration in the future about troubles he described in the present tense. So, I too, can declare that I will not fear, though my fear is trying to take me down. I will not fear, though my troubles are devastating, overwhelming, etc. The psalmist made a decision, not based on his emotions, but on his relationship with the Lord, that he would not fear, even though the earth gave way and the mountains fell into the heart of the sea. I don't know his intent on using those words, but I am sure he faced trouble in his life that made his situations seem that way. Trouble will come, but the peace of God is offered to us to sustain, strengthen, and carry us victoriously through our trouble. I am so grateful to have a personal God who is ever-present in these times! Even though trouble comes, GOD IS!
written by Heather H. McDevitt
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