God: Our Refuge & Strength

By Joe Slater

 

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear . . .” (Psalm 46:1-2a).

    God is our refuge, our place of shelter in life’s storms. Danger isn’t always physical; our adversary walks about as a roaring lion seeking to devour us. Jesus taught us to pray, “Deliver us from the evil one” (Matthew 6:13).

    God is our strength. Our own strength will fail us, but God’s strength never will. Not just our physical strength but our moral and spiritual strength may be taxed to the breaking point by whatever trials and temptations we are facing.

     God is a very present help in trouble. He is not distant from us or unconcerned about us. Even people who do not know Him are objects of His care, as Paul told the philosophers in Athens, “He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live, and move, and have our being” (Acts 17:27-28). That being true of people in general, how much more should we have confidence He is present with us, especially during difficult times?

    Therefore, we will not fear. Since God is our refuge, our strength, and a very present help in trouble, why would we fear? When Jesus’ disciples became afraid, He said, “Oh you of little faith! Why did you doubt?” (Matthew 14:31). Little faith is often our problem, too. We find ourselves saying with the man in Mark 9:24, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”

    Your trials aren’t the same as mine, but we all encounter trials that put us to the test. Let’s remember that God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. So, let us not be afraid, but confident and strong in the Lord!

- Joe Slater serves as minister of the Church of Christ in Justin, TX. He may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://justinchurchofchrist.com