These can be very trying times. When you face the unknown future, or you encounter things in life that are beyond your control, things that are difficult and troubling, what do you do? How do you handle troubled times? Where do you go, or to whom do you turn for help? Where do you find the strength needed to properly deal with times of trouble?
Strength is found in God. It is found in our Lord Jesus Christ. Turn to Psalm 46 and you will soon see that it is God in whom we must trust. Only through faith in Christ can our hearts truly find guidance in the way to go and strength for the journey. Psalm 46 provides a sense of security for troubled times.
Psalm 46:1-2a says, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear.” When you rest in God and Christ Jesus His Son, you will not fear. When you trust in the Lord, He is always there when you need Him. He will never fail you. He is our refuge! He is our strength!
We don't know exactly to what the psalmist was responding when he wrote these words. Some powerful force obviously made him feel very weak and afraid. Whatever it was, the force was so powerful that he spoke of the mountains being carried into the sea, the waters roaring, and the earth trembling (vs. 2b-3). Yet we are told that he “will not fear” (v. 2a).
The psalmist felt helpless on his own strength. It may be that during these past days you have identified with his sense of helplessness. You would do anything to change the course of events, and yet there appears to be little, if anything, you can do to redirect the inevitable.
The psalmist evidently knew the feeling well. Some have thought that there was a foreign army invading the land, destroying as it went. Others have felt that it was some catastrophic event of nature, perhaps a flood or an earthquake, and lives were taken. Whatever the problem may have been, the psalmist had found the presence of God’s splendor, even in the midst of terror and heartache.
Yet in the midst of his heartache, his faith allowed him to stand strong and, even above all of the noise, he was able to hear the still, quiet voice of God. There was no doubt in his mind that God was still in control of the world and that He was indeed the source of refuge and strength.
Perhaps there are questions in your mind about God’s control of our world; questions as to what is happening in your life right now. In order to hear, the psalmist had to first be still: “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” (v. 10)
There are no mountains being visibly carried into the sea, but in a very strange way, the earth is trembling and we find ourselves under the influence of a very powerful force, a force that creates sadness and even fear. But when you know Christ, there need be no fear.
We too can hear the quiet voice of God, if we only allow ourselves to be still and listen. He is here with us right now. “The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge” (v. 11). This same God of whom the psalmist speaks is here with us right now. He only asks that we trust in Him as the psalmist did. He is our source of refuge and strength. He is our “present help” (v. 1b). And He is waiting for you to respond to Him in faith and trust. Give yourself to Him right now and begin to experience His love and assurance.
God sent His Son to die on the cross for you, so that through faith in Him, you would have forgiveness of sin and new life in Christ. If you receive Jesus Christ by faith, you will receive eternal life. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
Confess your sin and ask Jesus into your life right now, and you will begin a relationship with the Son of God that allows you to experience His refuge and strength each day. All who know Jesus as Savior and Lord can fully experience that grace and peace from God. Let Him in and let Him give you that peace. Amen.
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