God is our refuge and our strength.” Psalm 46:1. This is quite a confession for a child of God to make. Only because we are His children may we make this confession. God is not the refuge of the wicked, nor is He their strength.
At times it is very easy for us to place our trust in the physical things and securities of this world. This can be especially true in the time of troubles. Yet, by faith we know that our God is our surety and in Him alone must we trust. Nothing in this world will keep us from harm and danger or calamities. God alone is our refuge, the One to whom we flee in time of trouble. What a comfort that is! He will keep us from the trouble of the world. Yes, we may experience some of the calamities and disasters of the earth, but God will be our stay. We shall be kept under the shadow of the Almighty. He will always be our faithful God. He shall be our strength even when it seems that the earth is removed from its place and that the mountains are being rent from their foundations. In time of these trials and tribulations, we shall have quiet peace in our hearts, knowing that the Lord has control over all.
God has His abode in the midst of His city, in the midst of His church. We must be thankful that God dwells in the midst of us. With Him, our foundations are sure and will not be moved. He is our stronghold. Without Him we would not have courage or strength. Our courage and strength comes from God alone. God is always ready to help us. He is our early help. That early help refers to His being our strength each and every day. He shall keep us and defend us when trouble is at hand.
Another comforting thought is that even when there is trouble, we know that it was sent by the Lord. The God of Jacob, our covenant God, rules and reigns over all. He is sovereign and determines the ways of the wicked and the righteous. This is proved for us in stanza 3 of Psalter #126. “The nations raged, the kingdoms moved, but when His voice was heard, the troubled earth was stilled to peace before His mighty word.” We may take great comfort in the fact that God is on our side and is a sure refuge for us in any circumstance of life. The Lord, by His will, causes wars to be fought and desolation to be brought to the earth. However, He also causes them to cease. God shall give us abiding peace to us even in the midst of the tumult of the world.
In all this, we must give God the glory! For He is the One who rules over all, who guides us, who keeps us safe and is our strength in time of trouble. Even the nations of the world know God and are subject to Him whether they want to be or not. “I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10 The very world and all therein shall magnify God because it was created to glorify His name. May we confess and believe in our hearts the words of stanza five, “The God of Jacob is for us a refuge strong and sure.” ❖