God Our Refuge

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 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. There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early. The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Come, behold the works of the Lord, what desolations he hath made in the earth. He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire. Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge” (Psm. 46). What a beautiful and powerful Psalm! It begins and ends with the declaration that “God is our refuge,” and gives us some potent information in between. After saying that God is a “very present help in trouble,” we are told what some of those troubles are that he will help us with. The things that are listed as troubles are all things that are yet to come upon the whole earth, before and at the second coming of Jesus back to this world, as the following scripture references confirm (Isa. 24:20; Nahum 1:5; Lk. 21:25). Those are going to be some serious issues to deal with, and the only people who will “not fear” these things are those who have made God their refuge, as the passage states. The word ‘refuge’ refers to a shelter from danger, and as you know, this life and world is full of all kinds of dangers in all kinds of ways. The only possibility of not being afraid of the many dangers of this life is to constantly take refuge in much prayer and faith before God. There simply is no other method by which anyone can take refuge in God from anything that would make one afraid. Those who persevere in that faith are the ones who become conditioned to trusting God no matter what comes their way, because he has and will demonstrate that they CAN trust him. That is how the fear is removed, and that is why his elect will not fear the things that are going to be coming upon the earth. These things are surely noteworthy, for Jesus told us plainly of the end time, saying; “Men’s hearts [will be] failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth” (Lk. 21:26).

We also see in this Psalm the upholding power of God’s Spirit that is released to those who seek him diligently, and that power is the “river [whose] streams … make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.” That river is the same one that Jesus said would flow from the innermost being of those who truly believe in him (Jn. 7:37-39). That river is the holy Spirit of God my friend, and it is the ONLY power in heaven or under heaven that can wash fear and every other wrong thing out of the heart and soul of any man, woman, or child (I Cor. 6:11; Tit. 3:5). That is indeed the river whose streams make the hearts of God’s children who seek him, very happy, as the apostle Paul also stated: “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and JOY in the Holy Ghost” (Rom. 14:17). Those who continually take refuge in God are the “tabernacles” mentioned in our text passage, that dwell in the holy city of God, the “Jerusalem which is above” (Gal. 4:26). That city, as stated in the Psalm, “shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.” God will certainly help them because they are taking refuge in him continually. Jesus confirmed that reality to us along with the reality of how to take refuge in God: “And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily” (Lk. 18:7,8). Then we see the things that will take place just before the Lord’s second coming, and in the thousand year reign of Christ as well; as these reference scriptures attest to (Psm. 2:1; Jer. 25:30; Psm. 97:5; Isa. 2:4). Make no mistake, that reign of Jesus Christ and his saints on earth will ONLY include those who have made God their refuge at all times. And that brings us to what is probably the most integral verse in the chapter, which being repeated says; “Be still, and know that I am God.” God said the same in Isaiah: “Therefore have I cried concerning this, Their strength is to sit still” (Isa. 30:7). Now this does not mean that God wants his people sitting on their thumbs. What it DOES mean is that he wants his people to stop “running to and fro to [supposedly] seek the word of the Lord,” and get alone with him and seek HIM to hear his word, and to personally find his power and rest (Amos 8:12; Prov. 2:3-6). Being 'still’ THAT way results in the 'strength’ which Isaiah mentioned, and that strength is the only way we will overcome the adversities, sufferings, and catastrophes that are yet to come to this world. Amen.