“1God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 2Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; 3Though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah” (Psalm 46:1-3)
The assurance from God’s Word is overwhelming! The God who made this world and all things therein is most mindful of us … the creatures who have been made in His likeness (Genesis 1:26). But our adversary the Devil is always looking for some angle to generate doubt, disbelief and distrust (1 Peter 5:8)! And just like the apostle Peter … we want to have the faith to trust in the Lord through all the storms of life … we just have a way of taking our eyes off the Lord (Matthew14:22-33) … and being overwhelmed by the waves of life around us!
When our children or our grandchildren are about to take their first step … we offer our encouragement to them by saying, “Look at me … you can do it!”
But if they look down at their feet or the floor … guess what happens? They fall down! It was the same in learning how to ride a bike wasn’t it?
There is no doubt that we are living in troubled times … politically, economically, religiously and morally, etc. Isn’t it so that God’s people have always lived in troubling times? Note 2 Timothy 3:12. You see, we can turn off the news broadcast … we can put down the newspaper … but it’s still there! So, how do we deal with all of this in a good way … or can we? We must keep our eyes on Him!
Psalm 46 instructs us to look to the Lord for our strength and our salvation! Not only must we arrive at the point spiritually where we recognize our complete dependency on the Lord for everything, we must pause regularly to reflect on these reassuring truths. If you will look at the end of verse 3 as well as in verses 7 and 11 … the writer employs the use of the Hebrew word “Selah” which means to “pause.” We are to pause and reflect upon the truths just read and weigh their meaning and application to us!
So … what are we to do in light of this Psalm?
- Verse One … Look to our God!
- Verse Two … Look to our God in every one of life’s situations!
- Verse Three … Then learn how to trust Him always … no matter what comes!
The world cannot save us … no government can save us. We can’t even save ourselves! It is the Lord who can and will save us … but only by our willingness to abide in His way.
Yes, we do live in a very unstable world, but our God offers to provide us with the stability we need to keep our spiritual balance.
Oh, by the way, read verse 10. You’ll be glad you did!
When we read the psalmist words of Psalm 46:10, “Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” … each of us will have reason to be more confident about whatever the future holds because He is our “Great I AM!”
Bill Fairchild, Jr.
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