MARCH 30, 2023
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof.” (Psalm 46:1-3)
In Psalm 46, the poet starts with God’s provision. Many other psalms begin with a description of the psalmist’s crisis. He looked to God for help in difficult times and found it. He could say these things by experience: God Himself was a place of refuge, as the cities of refuge protected the fugitive in Israel; He was the strength for His people, being strong for and in them, and He alone was his refuge and strength, not God and something or someone else, but Him alone.
A ‘refuge’ is “a condition of being safe or sheltered from pursuit, danger, or trouble.” God is our safety and shelter from all the nonsense of the world. Many things are going on in our lives, whether it be issues with health, relationships, finances, or whatever else. Even when it may seem that the world is falling apart and changing around us, we must never forget that God is our protection. We can always depend on Him to protect us at all times.
All creatures, when in distress, run to their refuges. Since the psalmist applies the logic of faith and puts forth that if God is a natural refuge, strength, and help to His people, then there is no logical reason to fear – even in the biggest crisis.
I love my dad and have always admired him. When I was younger, my dad always told me that if anyone was ever giving me a hard time, I could come to him, and he would sort it out. My dad would always ensure his kids were protected; he exemplified the kind of Father God is.
I am a child of God and have nothing to fear because he will always be my refuge and strength. The same thought continues in verses 10-11 where it says: “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.”
When I was younger, my dad always used a quote from The Gipper (which was a story about a football player). He’d say, “When the chips are down, and the breaks are beating the boys, you can always count on so-and-so,” filling in whomever he was talking about, someone who was always on your team. This quote becomes even more true when it’s applied to God. As His children, we can always count on our Heavenly Father to be our refuge, always keeping His children safe. Even if the earth shakes, is flooded, or even explodes beneath us, we shall not fear.
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