- Refuge and Present Help
Psalm 46:1
God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
God is a refuge and strength and a present help; therefore He promises to keep us safe, give us strength, and help us in the present trouble. Whenever we need safety, strength or help our God will be there to provide it. We get into trouble because of sin, our own or other people’s, and God is in the business of forgiving our sin and rescuing us from the trouble caused by sin. This He was doing for the OT believers even before the Son of God took human form to die for us. This is what He is still doing for NT believers who have the advantage of hearing of the Great Salvation Event of Jesus’ Death and Resurrection.
Because of God’s great mercy God is for us a Refuge: He Himself is a strong fortress or hiding place in which we can find safety and comfort. Taking refuge = trusting. Trusting means placing ourselves, body and soul, completely at the disposal of another to protect and take care of us. That person or thing in which we place our trust will not let us down, forget, break, or disappoint, but will keep the promise: we will be kept safe. That is a refuge and there is no safer place to be than in God.
Because of the Lord’s victory over Sin and Evil, God is for us a Strength. He makes us strong and He gives us His own strength. How strong is God? He is strong enough to defeat the strongest powers of the created universe (since He created them Himself); and if He can defeat them He can protect us. The Victory of the Cross and the Tomb guarantees this Strength for us.
Because of the Resurrection of Jesus, God is for us a very present Help in trouble. Jesus has promised to be with us and He has promised the constant presence of the Helper (the Holy Spirit) to be in us and with us; therefore, the Help of God is always present and available to us wherever and whenever we get into trouble. Very present = right now in time and right here in space. Although we may have to “wait” in time for the answer to trouble to work out, the answer to the prayer has already arrived. “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise.” (2 Peter 3:9).