Standing Firm in Unsettling Times: A Five-Day Devotional by Skip Heitzigنموونە

Take Refuge in God's Presence

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 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. —Psalm 46:1-3

When Psalm 46 was written, Israel's circumstances were not unlike ours were on September 11, 2001. They had been suddenly attacked: the Assyrian army had come from the north, burned fields to the ground, and surrounded Jerusalem. It was a time of national catastrophe. Yet the psalmist wrote, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear" (vv. 1-2).

As used in this psalm, the word trouble means tight places—those circumstances in which we feel surrounded, trapped, and helpless. In those tight places, God is our refuge. Sometimes He becomes a shield to protect us from trouble, calming the storm for His children. At other times, He carries us through trouble, calming His children while the storm still rages.

"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" (vv. 2-3). What can we do when everything we've trusted for stability is moving? The psalmist answered: "Therefore we will not fear" (v. 2).

Fear debilitates us. Walter Stone said, "Fear is the most destructive force in the world today." Thankfully, God has equipped us to stand against fear. As Paul wrote to Timothy, "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7). Thus, we can stand firm today and say, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear."