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,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.
Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Come and see the works of the Lord,
the desolations he has brought on the earth.
He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear,
he burns the shields with fire.
“Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.

I tend to read through a Psalm each day, finishing the book and beginning again. On the afternoon of September 11th, 2001, this is the Psalm I was “scheduled” to read. Knowing the circumstances of that day, the Lord spoke very clearly to me. The desolation, destruction, and wars seemed all too real, all to close to my own life, and yet in the midst of it all, God was there. He is there.

Matthew Henry writes, “This psalm encourages us to hope and trust in God, and his power, and providence, and gracious presence with his church in the worst of times, and directs us to give him the glory of what he has done for us and what he will do.” David begins and ends this psalm with a look at our Lord. God is firstly identified as our refuge, which can also be translated as shelter, hope, or trust-He is wholly steadfast and sufficient, a wise place to run to in the midst of trouble. He is our strength, our power, and He is our present help-rarely if ever have I seen the Lord be my help ahead of trials, I cannot think either of a time where He was too late to help, but always He is there with you in the present, in the midst of the pain and trouble, always in time.

David then shifts focus from who God is, to our response, “Therefore, we will not fear…”. Because of who God is, we will not fear. And there is much to fear, would we take our eyes away from our Protector. David proceeds to paint a picture of absolute chaos. The earth itself, our foundation, is in utter turmoil–that which is strong and mighty and firm is tossed about in the sea. It is the idea of unexplainable, and uncontrollable, utterly unnatural forces, which would leave any in dread and feeling completely helpless. Yet God, not this earth, is our shelter, our refuge. He is our help. He is far superior to His creation, our circumstances.

In verses 4 and 5, David introduces us to God’s city-the place where His people dwell. And again, it is because of God’s presence that the city stands, that she will not be moved. He again is there to help in the face of threatening circumstances. This time it is the nations, rather than the earth, that are in great turmoil, and yet, when He lifts His voice, the earth melts. The plots, schemes, violence and war are none too great for our God. And He is with us.

David ends this thought with, “The Lord Almighty is with us, the God of Jacob is our fortress” (v.7). He then transitions to beholding the greatness of God-He both judges nations and ceases wars, He is in control. All we are to do is to be still, and to know that He is God. This implies a great rest and trust in the character of our Lord despite all outward circumstances. It is a demonstration of our faith-that we KNOW He is in control and has a perfect plan in the midst of fearful circumstances. He will receive the glory-both from the earth, and from the nations, for He is far greater than both. And He is with us. He is our fortress.

application

  • Have you ever experienced a time where circumstances seemed beyond all control? What is your natural reaction? How would you react differently knowing that God is with you?
  • What are the recurring themes in this passage? Why is this important to David? to your life?

prayer

Father, thank you for being our refuge and strength. Thank you for being our shield and protection, for being with us. Lord there is much comfort in knowing this, in being able to cling to you when all else seems so bleak. Teach us what it means to be still, to stop running and doing and striving, and simply to rest in You. May we practice this daily.