Psalm 46 God Is Our Refuge And Strength

Psalm 46:1

46 

God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear,
Even though the earth be removed,
And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
3 Though its waters roar and be troubled,
Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah

(Psalm 46:1-3 NKJV)

What truly wonderful and powerful these verses are to hold on to when troubles strike. We all live in a fallen world which guarantees we all will face many challenges in life. Some of these will be quite difficult. The question we must ask of ourselves is: "Do I go through this with God, or apart from Him." One may rely on God's strength and wisdom in going through this thing or their own. Here is where faith comes in, "Do I believe God?" Remember Romans 8:28, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose."Just something to think about.

"These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 NKJV)

In The Time of Need

The name of the LORD is a strong tower;

The righteous run to it and are safe. 

(Proverbs 18:10NKJV)

I want the rest of my life to be smooth sailing, so to speak. I hate problems; I do not want any trials or tribulations in my life. None, not one, zero, zip, nada! But we all know life has its ups and downs. We all have our struggles. Some situations are more troublesome than others. One minute we might be thinking, “All is well,” then the next minute life is turned upside down. All that it takes is a slip in the bath tub or some criminal entering your home and life is not the same.

While I do not like the idea of terrible things happening, I believe one should predetermine how we should respond in the event of something does go wrong. For example, learn to administer first aid. At work, we have an emergency evacuation plan in the event of an emergency. Throughout the world, we have fire and rescue teams to come to the aid of people in need. Here in America we dial 911 in the event of an emergency for the proper people to respond to our needs.

While it is wise to prepare as mentioned above, there is only so much these things can do to help. We must also know who our strong tower is. We need to know: “the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen!” (2 Timothy 4:18 NKJV) No matter how unbearable this situation is that we may be facing, we know the Lord will bring us through it. He will not drop the ball. This thing will come to an end. No matter what we are facing, nothing can separate us form the love of God or remove our home in heaven awaiting us. All my brothers and sisters in Christ, let’s be predetermined to run to the Lord the next time, and every time something goes wrong in our lives. We must remember there is protection under the shadow of His wing. (See Psalm 91).

Job's Friends

Job 2:11-13 (New King James Version)

Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this adversity that had come upon him, each one came from his own place—Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. For they had made an appointment together to come and mourn with him, and to comfort him. And when they raised their eyes from afar, and did not recognize him, they lifted their voices and wept; and each one tore his robe and sprinkled dust on his head toward heaven. So they sat down with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his grief was very great.

How should I respond when a friend is suffering great grief? What is it I should say? How should I act? We hurt for our friend, just wanting their pain to go away. Sometimes we try to speak a word of comfort, yet it does not help. Maybe even makes them feel worse.

When my wife died I suffered pain which I could not even describe. Many times people tried to say words of comfort. Yes I appreciated that, as I knew they truly cared. But what brought me the most comfort? It was when someone walked up to me and gave me a great big Ole hug and I could see the sorrow in their eyes. They did not even have to say a word, and if they did speak, just to let me know they cared. Our presence and praying means everything to someone in the early stages of grief.

We never know when death, serious illness or financial disaster is going to rear its ugly head. Many times it is not us it happens to, but a friend. It is good to be prepared in advance, first by knowing who God is and being in a close relationship with Him. I like the way Job’s three friends responded in the passages above. When they heard, they came to him to mourn and comfort him. Then they expressed their grief and set with him without saying a word. This does not mean to not speak at all, but there is a time and a season for everything under the sun. Sometimes our presence and showing we care is the greatest comfort we can give. Unfortunately, later in the book Job’s friends words were not a comfort.