Psalm 46:1

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

If trouble has not visited you, know that it will drop by for an uninvited call at some point in your life. The turmoil happens to the just and the unjust, those who honor God, and those who do not. And that adversity touches people in different ways, through sickness of body (either you or a loved one), financial difficulty, marriage problems, employment (or lack thereof), and on and on. What can be done when we find ourselves in this time of difficulty? God’s Word has an answer.

The first verse of the forty-sixth psalm is full of information regarding who to go to in times of distress. This verse tells us where to go,  what is provided when we get there, and who provides it. In Psalm 46, the first and last verse include the word refuge, defined as a shelter from the storms of life. God also addresses this in Psalm 91, David wrote in the second verse that God is a refuge and a fortress, and because of this he trusts God. What about you when you’re in dire straits?

It is one thing to be a help to someone, but what a difference it is when that help is exceedingly; that is what the ‘very’ in the phrase very present help infers. God is not only where we can go and find shelter of mercy, grace and solutions, but He is an exceedingly found helper who wants to prove his character and power to anyone who dares to trust in and relinquish the issue to Him. See, we are not alone when in trouble. God is with us. Isaiah 9:6 gives a name: Emmanuel, God with us.  God’s presence is there, but we must tap into that presence while we are in the calamity called trouble. God is a shelter, a refuge of strength and power, providing an exceeding source of help to anyone who asks for it, while we are experiencing distress.

We don’t have to experience distress and anguish alone. God’s power can be utilized in a way that only shows He is omniscient and full of power, giving the provision of exceeding help in trying times. God has provided the invitation of refuge; will you accept it?

“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.”

 Psalm 46: 10,11