An Assurance in the Midst of Troubles
"God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble."
(Psalm 46: 1)
(Psalm 46: 1)
One after the other, troubles come. In this life of uncertainties and anxieties, we tend to become overwhelmed with fear. Realising the magnitude of the difficulties and problems that we may have to face every day, we seldom fail to realise what our belief is; in whom we have put our trust. And that is the message of hope and assurance that we find in the Lord our God. In the midst of all the troubles and difficulties, we have an assurance in the Lord; an assurance that He is with us. Today's verse that we have taken for reflecting, reminds us of this hope that we find in the Lord Jesus Christ.
We find three important assurances in Psalm 46: 1. The verse reminds us that God is our refuge, our strength and He is an ever-present help in our times of trouble.
God is our Refuge
The first thing that we do when we face trouble is we try to guess the magnitude of what we may have to go through ahead. Our minds immediately make a lot of emotional and somewhat rational calculations of our capabilities of managing things that are nearing us. Troubles always warn us of the damage that they could make in our lives. It is this thought of the prospective damage and hurt that makes us tremble and fear. It is important for a child of God to remember that God, our Lord, is our refuge. We could run to Him. We could first hide under His mighty wings that are our refuge. We do not need to fear. We do not need to tremble. We do not need to feel left out and lonely to face what is nearing us. God is our refuge, indeed. He will be our refuge as we run without support. Being in His refuge, we can rest assured, ready to face things before us. We begin to see the impending troubles from God's point of view!
God is our Strength
Finding refuge in God helps us see things clearly. As we are assured of His refuge, we can take time to see what's before us. There's clarity in our vision. Surely the trouble before us may look overwhelming. But we may have to remember that we depend on the Lord. He will be our strength. He will provide His strength in abundance to face the trouble, come what may. Standing there, under His refuge, we have to remember that we do not need to worry whether we have enough strength to face what is there before. Remember that we are not our strength! It is God who is our strength. Proverbs 3:5 reminds us to trust in the LORD with all our heart and not to lean on our own understanding. And it is true, that when we are placed in the circumstances of trouble, we first run for refuge that God provides, and as we view the impending troubles from God's point of view, that itself gives us clarity of things and the needed strength in our hearts. Do not feel lost. Do not feel disabled. God will be your strength and He will help you face what lies before by giving His strength in abundance.
God is our 'Ever-Present Help' in Trouble
Now that we have been in God's refuge, and have been assured of His strength to face the troubles, we slowly move into what is there before us. One by one, the pressure, the hurt, the damage, the magnitude, the break, the fragility is felt. Troubles begin to affect us. We become lost. But, deep in our hearts, we must remember that we have the refuge and strength of our Lord our God. He will help us navigate through. He is continuing to help us see things pass by. He will help us see ourselves moulded and changed. God will be our 'ever-present help!' Remember that our Lord will never leave us. He will be present, by our side, as we go through the times that we feared the most. Deuteronomy 31:8 reminds us that "It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed." Isn't that so reassuring to realise that even though we may be facing and going through troubles, the one thing that is more assured than any other is our Lord's presence with us to help us? Surely the Lord will go before you and will help you face things ahead. Be assured.
Today, as we come before God's presence, let us be reminded of our God's assurance for our times of trouble. Surely we all may have to face troubles in our lives. But, when the storms, waves and the armies of troubles near us, we must remember that we have an assured refuge that we can find in our Lord our God, we are given His strength in abundance and we are assured of His presence and help right through the times; until the storms calm, until the waves draw back and until the armies have passed us by. Let us only look to Him for help, and He will indeed be our sufficient refuge, strength and help in our times of trouble. May the power and blessings of God the Father, the love and grace of Christ Jesus the Son, the fellowship and guidance of the Holy Spirit, be with us and help us as we continue to trust the Lord our God and be assured of His refuge, strength and help throughout.
May God bless you.
Yours in Christ,
