God is Our Refuge

Psalm 46:1 “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”

This is one of my favorite verses in the whole Bible. It is not a very long verse in comparison to others, but it is packed full of great, comforting, and applicable truth. “God is our refuge” – God is the One we can go to when we feel like life is coming at us from all directions. He is the One who will shelter us and “cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings” (Psalm 91:4). We can trust in Him and find refuge from the storms of this life.

God is also our strength. We are so blessed as Christians in that we do not have to face life’s problems and difficult situations on our own or in our own strength, for God tells us He is our strength. When we are weak, He is strong. We can lean on Him, “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness” (Isaiah 41:10). What incredible promises of help, protection, strength, and encouragement we have from the Lord. He is our refuge; we can run to Him for protection. He is our strength. We can lean on Him when we are weak.

Psalm 46:1 also says that God is “a very present help in trouble.” I love how this is worded. God is not just a help, He is not just a present help, but He is “a very present help.” God is our help when we are in trouble. What an amazing statement. Who else but God would we want to be helping us when we are in trouble? The all-powerful, all-knowing, all-wise God of the universe says He will be our help when in trouble. What a powerful promise. And God will not just be a help, Psalm 46:1 says He will be “a very present help.” He will be with us. We do not have to go through that difficulty alone, we do not have to go through that problem alone, we do not have to go through that troubling situation alone, God will be there with us. Elsewhere in the Bible, it tells us not only will He be there with us, He says, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:5).

As Christians, we serve an incredible God. A God that will be a comforting refuge to us when we need it, a God that will give us strength when we are weak, a God that will help us through trouble, and a God that will be with us and not forsake us in the midst of that trouble. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Such an incredibly encouraging verse, it would be good for all of us to dwell on these comforting promises.