Today I am going to share with you from Psalm 46. The Psalms cover the whole range of human experience. There are majestic songs of praise and there are gut-wrenching songs of lament. The Psalms are filled with comfort and assurance in the midst of fearful uncertainty. Brothers and sisters, we are living through such a time.
In view of this, Psalm 46:1-3 reads, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling.” These Israelites lived on the same earth we live on today. When you and I walk outside, we expect the ground we walk on to support us and not collapse under our feet. It is something we take for granted. What if the earth gave way and sank into the sea? Can you imagine? The dry land you relied upon was gone.
Verse two informs us that the Israelites would not fear if this unthinkable even were to occur. They would not fear because of verse one, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” They didn’t place their trust in the earth. Their trust was in God. He was their refuge and strength. He was their very present help in time of trouble. So, if they would not fear the prospect of the earth they stood on sinking into the sea, even the mountains, how should we react to an uncertain economy and a novel virus? “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling.”
Brothers and sisters, our confidence is not in the stock market or even in our physical health. Our confidence is in the one true God. Psalm 46 ends with this, “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress” (Ps. 46:10-11). Let us not fear because God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Let us be still and know that he is God. He will be exalted among the nations, he will be exalted in the earth! Brothers and sisters, our confidence is in a God who is unchanging. May God bless you as you seek him during this time!