“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
Psalm 46:1 (KJV)
Beloved, Psalm 46 is not a quiet psalm. Read the next two verses and you will see why it starts where it does:
“Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof.”
Psalm 46:2–3
This is the language of the worst day you can imagine. The ground giving way. The things you thought were permanent sliding into the sea. The psalmist does not pretend it is not happening. He says that even then, we will not fear, because God is our refuge.
Refuge and strength
A refuge is somewhere you run to. Strength is something given to you so you can stand. God is both. Some days you need to hide in Him. Other days you need Him to hold you up so you can keep going. This verse says you do not have to choose.
“A very present help” is a beautiful phrase. It means help that is near and easy to find, especially when trouble comes. God is not a help we have to travel a long way to reach. He is close.
A river in the city
Verse 4 turns from the roaring sea to something gentle: “There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God.” Jerusalem had no great river like the Nile or the Euphrates. Its water came from a spring. The point is not the size of the river but its source. While the nations rage, there is a quiet supply of life flowing from God’s presence to His people.
Twice the psalm repeats the same line, like a chorus: “The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge” (verses 7 and 11). The word “Selah” follows each time. Many believe it was a pause. Stop here. Let that sink in.
“Be still, and know”
Near the end God Himself speaks: “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth” (verse 10). In the setting of the psalm this is not a soft invitation to relax. It is closer to “Stop. Enough.” It is God speaking over the noise of war and chaos, telling everything to quieten down and recognise who is in charge.
Martin Luther loved this psalm. His hymn “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” was based on it, and it carried him and many others through very dark years.
When trouble comes
- Read Psalm 46 slowly. It is only eleven verses.
- At each “Selah,” actually stop. Breathe. Say the chorus line out loud: “The LORD of hosts is with us.”
- Ask yourself honestly: do I need a refuge today, or strength? Ask Him for exactly that.
- Find two minutes of silence today and pray verse 10 back to Him.
A prayer
God, You are my refuge and my strength. When the ground feels like it is moving under me, You are a very present help. I run to You. Hold me up where I am weak. Quiet the noise around me and in me, and let me be still and know that You are God. Amen.
Wear the verse
Carry Psalm 46:1 with you on our God Is Our Refuge polo, the Refuge & Strength t-shirt or the Refuge & Strength hoodie.
Read next: Peace I Leave With You: John 14:27
