Psalm 46 begins with an incredibly strong declaration. It’s a statement of who God is, and how exceedingly close His help and support is during turmoil and distress.
God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
Psalm 46:1 (NKJV)
To really appreciate the significance of this declaration we need to grasp the serious and momentous situation that the psalmist was experiencing as he wrote these words. Here’s how he describes what was happening at the time:
Therefore we will not fear,
Even though the earth be removed,
And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
Though its waters roar and be troubled,
Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah
Psalm 46:2-3 (NKJV)
Turmoil on earth
He says that it seems like the earth is being “removed” which means everything on earth is being “altered” or “changed” around him. The “mountains” – those things that are seemingly immoveable – are tottering and shaking, and being carried away into the sea. The “waters” (which are often a picture of humanity) are crying out in unrest and turbulence, like they are boiling and foaming up in commotion. There is cataclysmic disturbance as seemingly immovable things quake and swell, rather like in an earthquake.
I was struck by how appropriate this imagery is to what is happening throughout the world right now. There are major global events that affect millions of people. And even in our own back yard, many people have had their lives totally disrupted. Lives have been shaken; careers and businesses lost; education disrupted; lifestyles irrevocably changed. The shifts are so huge and continuous that it all seems a bit unreal.
God is…
Yet in the face of these things, the psalmist declares that God’s people will refuse to fear (verse 2a). How could he make such a bold statement? It’s because the psalmist knows that God’s people know God.
Notice he begins verse 1 with “God is…”. That’s always a great place to start! God is our refuge – a shelter we can run to. And God is strength (see Psalm 62:11). This is who He is – He cannot be anything other than strength. So He is our shelter and strength.
God is also a help, support and assistance that we suddenly find is “in our hand” – that’s what “present” means. His help is “very present” or abundantly available just when we need it. So we don’t need to go looking for God’s strength and support – we just have to recognise that He is there. And that’s the faith step we need to take. When He is there, all His resources are “at hand” too.
A faith declaration
The psalmist declares that even though earth-shattering changes are happening around God’s people, we will not fear – because God is our refuge, our strength, and our abundant and present help.
What faith declaration do you need to make today? No matter what circumstances you find yourself in, God is!
