At times, circumstances arouse our fears and cause us to lose our spiritual focus.
Even the apostle Paul dealt with fear. He declared in II Corinthians 7:5: “When we arrived in Macedonia, there was no rest for us. We faced conflict from every direction, with battles on the outside and fear on the inside.”
Psalm 46 offers a spiritual prescription to heal our souls of the fear that attacks us. Paul addressed both external and internal fears. What are we to do with our fears?
Psalm 46 offers a spiritual prescription to heal our souls of the fear that attacks us. Verse 1 declares, “GOD is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
When we experience our fears, where do we start? According to Psalm 46:1, we start with “GOD.” Why? Well, GOD is GOD! He is
· Omnipotent (all-powerful)
· Omniscient (all-knowing)
· Omnipresent (all-present)
· Immutable (unchanging)
· Eternal
· Holy
· Incomparable
· And so much more!!!!
In our fears, we turn to the solution. GOD.
“GOD is…” “Is” is about to describe to us what the subject of the sentence, GOD, is.
“Our.” Here is a personal pronoun, indicating a personal relationship. The psalmist makes reference to himself and his readers, who have a personal relationship with GOD.
“Refuge.” Refuge is what GOD is to those of us who have a personal relationship with Him. A “refuge” is a place where you are safe or sheltered from pursuit, danger, or trouble. “Refuge” is a safe place. Expositor’s Bible Commentary says, “He (GOD) is like a ‘refuge’ where one finds rest and asylum…the ‘refuge’ was an isolated, elevated place where people built a stronghold against the enemy.”
“And.” The description is not complete. So, the writer utilizes a coordinating conjunction, which joins two words of equal syntactic importance.
“Strength.” Here is the other predicate of the linking verb – the other word that defines who GOD is and what He does. Fear weakens us spiritually. GOD is our divine strength in the time we battle with fear.
“A.” An indefinite article keeps the sentence flowing to another powerful truth.
“Very.” This adverb adds emphasis: extremely, extraordinarily, immensely, supremely, or remarkably.
“Present.” Right now. This very moment. In whatever circumstance you find yourself!
“Help.” G. Campbell Morgan, concerning “a very present help,” declared, “The secret of the confidence is the consciousness of the nearness of GOD. So, in whatever you are experiencing, which is causing you to be afraid, be reminded that your GOD is ‘a very present help.’ He stands waiting to help you right now.”
“In.” Here we have a preposition to lead to the identification of when GOD is a present help.
“Trouble.” What kind of trouble – the trouble that produces fear in us?
· Diagnosis of terminal cancer.
· Job termination
· Severe marital conflict
· Unexpected death
· Financial crisis
· Decline of our current culture
· Unending physical pain
So, Psalm 46:1 reminds us that, when we experience fear, whether it is caused externally or internally, “GOD is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
Psalm 46:2 shows the result of when a believer believes in the reality of verse 1. It says, “Therefore we will not fear, 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.”
In verse 2, the psalmist uses analogy to describe catastrophic events. So, just what is he attempting to communicate to us?
Here is the truth: Regardless of the dimensions of the trouble that is arousing your fears, the prescription for the cure of your fear is the realization that GOD is your refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Pastor Mike