God is a very present help in trouble

Day 22 — {FMF} — help

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Ps. 46:1

Times of trouble and hardship will either drive us closer to God or away from Him — the choice is ours. 

When I encounter pain in my life, I habitually turn to things that medicate the pain such as browsing the Web and getting lost in really good articles or social media posts. Eventually, I will run across a product that seemingly targets my pain point and I will buy the product even if I can’t afford it. 

Once I bought a time management program that was going to fix all my problems because if I could only manage my time better, then just about everything in my life could be fixed. But, of course, the program couldn’t fix me — even as I tried to implement it. 

Over the years, I’ve come to notice these patterns in me and I no longer make those purchases as often. Instead, I try to take God at His Word.

God is our refuge

When hurt comes and I’m tempted to go hiding in the things that will ease my pain, I remember that He is my refuge, my hiding place. And I say scriptures even if I don’t believe it in the moment. I pray them aloud if only as a whisper. 

A few years ago, I printed several key scriptures on poster-sized paper and hung them in different rooms. The above verse was one of them. I’ve found that when pain or trouble comes and I find myself despairing, I can look up and see God’s promise — His truth and I can’t help but read it. 

And the truth begins to take shape in the midst of my pain — God is our refuge and strength. I don’t have to be strong. He’s my strength. 

A very present help in trouble 

God is not far away in the heavens portrayed sometimes as an old, white man with a beard. Far, far from it. He is here, right now. It’s a matter of recognizing His Presence. The psalmist knew this and so he tells us — God is a very present help. 

Some of us call on God only when we find ourselves in trouble — and that’s definitely been me. And I suppose there is no better time than troubled times to ask God for help and realize He is the help we need. He is there in the midst of our trouble, our pain. 

I’ve hit some low points in my life when the pain in my heart seemed unbearable and I’ve found that even when I didn’t have the faith to believe — God was there. When the bottom went out from underneath me, He was there. And those moments have built my faith up and opened the eyes of my heart to see Him. 

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea.” Ps. 46:1,2