In the midst of such trouble God does not leave us alone, but stands with us, and protects us. To say he is a very present help is to assert that in that place of trial or test, God is there with us. He does not hope the best for us, or route for us and cheer us on in that hard place, but he enters into it himself. That ought to give us confidence.
The Psalmist says in Psalm 46,
“…we will not fear though the earth gives way,
though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble at its swelling.”
If you wish to hear more check out the new Post on Morning Mercies Podcast, now available on all major podcast platforms.
The Daily Psalms are given with the intention to encourage Christians to read and meditate on these scriptures in order to grow in their faith and relationship with God. They are released every Tuesday and Thursday for the following week on all major Podcast platforms. May the Lord bless you as you ponder His Word.
Presented by Michael Mullen
When the world, the whole world, seems to be coming apart at the seams, what are we to do? When a people are attacked for their faith, persecuted, how should they react? When a nation is on the brink of collapse, how should those who believe in God ultimately feel?
Sometimes trouble comes for the individual, or for a family, but at other times it comes for a whole people. Psalm 46 is written for the later. It is given to us when cataclysm is so pronounced, that no one is to escape. That trial may come from nature or creation, or it may come from the other nations, but it will come.
Today, believers in China suffer with their lives for their faithfulness. Today, people in California are fleeing from their homes with a handful of possessions, because a wildfire has swept into their town from the hills. And of course today, there is Ukraine that is embroiled in a war that has left so much of the country razed and demolished. For believers in such places, it must seem that their world is ending, that their existence is short, but is it?
Psalm 46 starts by giving the bottom line reality of the security of those who belong to God. God and His presence is that which makes us safe, and nothing else.
“God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.”
In the midst of such trouble God does not leave us alone, but stands with us, and protects us. To say he is a very present help is to assert that in that place of trial or test, God is there with us. He does not hope the best for us, or route for us and cheer us on in that hard place, but he enters into it himself. That ought to give us confidence.
The Psalmist says because of this,
“…we will not fear though the earth gives way,
though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble at its swelling.”
Because God is with us, we have no reason to fear anything. He who made the Earth, will be with us even when the Earth may fall apart. He rules over every cosmic threat, bringing peace to the waters that rage, stability to the mountains that totter or rock back and forth. He will cause wars to cease, and the nations who are in an uproar will know His power and reign. Those who belong to him, those who live in His presence will know his protection and security. Jerusalem, that city where his presence dwells, will be secure from all threats, and be established forever.
Many will deride such belief in God when all is falling apart. To such people this Psalm gives little to hope for. Fear is what they are left with. Yet for us who do believe and follow his Son, Jesus Christ, we know that where ever we go, and we are ultimately safe. He will see us where we are, and get us to where we are destined to be, with Him forever.
The final section of this Psalm gives us the two imperatives come and behold the work of the LORD. We are to witness the great power of God in asserting His will for peace, and so testify to his mighty presence.
“The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.”