God Is Our Fortress

God is our refuge and strength,a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam,though the mountains tremble at its swelling. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,the holy habitation of the Most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;God will help her when morning dawns. The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;he utters his voice, the earth melts. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Come, behold the works of the Lord,how he has brought desolation on the earth.He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;he burns the chariots 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 of hosts is with us;the God of Jacob is our fortress. Psalm 46

As I was reading this passage this morning, a couple things came to mind:

• What is the reason we do not need to fear? God is our refuge. God is our strength. Our trust, lack of anxiety is based in one thing...God. It's not based in our circumstances, health, wealth, or the political climate. It is based in the Creator of the Universe. No matter what happens in my life, there is no legitimate reason to fear. God is my strength, He is Who I turn to. He is orchestrating my life, He is in control.
• Not only is God my refuge, He helps me. I love how this portion of the sentence is worded. It doesn't just say God helps in trouble. He is a very present help in times of trouble. The Psalmist is emphasizing just how much help God is. Not only is God helping, but He's always there. He's present when I'm in trouble. Not only is He present, but He's VERY present.
• The Psalmist describes the difficulties and troubles of living on earth (the nations war, etc.), but He puts it into perspective. All around these verses are reassurances that God is with us. God is our fortress.
• Then we are told to behold the words of the Lord. What is the end result of this contemplation? Awe. Basically the Psalmist says to shut up (Be still). Contemplating the works of the Lord makes us aware how much God is in control. How other than us He is. How big and awesome He is. Why would we not trust Him? Of course He is our refuge.
• Then we are reminded the reason for everything...that God is exalted in all the earth!
• But, the Psalmist doesn't end there! That should be enough. We should trust and be silent because God is God. But, he once again reminds us that this awesome God is with us. The God of Jacob is our fortress.