A Very Present Help
Scripture Reading: Psalm 46:1-3
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.
Recently, I watched videos from an April earthquake that hit Taiwan. Buildings and bridges swayed. Some gave way. We’ve had some earthquakes in recent years in Oklahoma, but none like that. I’ve been told that if you are in a building during a major earthquake you are supposed to go outside. That makes sense. You don’t want stuff falling on your head.
Here in Oklahoma, we are more familiar with tornadoes. We are in the throes of “tornado season” right now. I’ve seen a few and been close to being in the path of one a couple of times, but I’ve never experienced a direct strike. I hope that steak of good fortune holds out.
Tornado shelters are a popular home addition. We don’t have one. Not that I’d be opposed to getting one. It has just never worked out that way. We did have one once. A house we lived in for a couple of years in Norman had one in the backyard. We used it once and were thankful it was there.
I suppose wherever you live in the world you face some sort of potential disaster. Hurricanes, typhoons, tornadoes, flooding, mudslides, wildfires, earthquakes, or tsunamis…this sin-cursed world seems to have something for everyone.
It is a good idea to prepare as best as possible for these things. That’s just good sense and wisdom. But even better is to seek shelter in God when trouble comes. This Psalm isn’t saying, “Don’t build a tornado shelter, just trust God.” It is saying, “Trust God even if you have a tornado shelter.”
It reminds us that there is a limit to what we can do. The earth might give way and the mountain might be moved into the heart of the sea. There is no emergency preparedness plan to deal with that.
Faith is always important. Sometimes it is indispensable. God can be your refuge and strength when nothing else will do.
The second part of verse one has a beautifully interesting line: “A very present help in trouble.” That’s the ESV way of translating it. Most translations are similar. It is a phrase that is difficult to summarize with a few English words.
First, it means that we’ve come to know God as our help by experience. He is a well-tested help. It means he is exceedingly helpful. He isn’t mildly helpful, but One who goes above and beyond like an impenetrable fortress. It also can mean that God is a sufficient help. He meets the need whatever it might be. There is no lack in God. He is all-sufficient, especially when it seems like the very ground we are standing on is giving way.
Then, it includes the idea that God is a help that is easily found. He isn’t far away or someone we have to search for. He is nearby. That is the reason translators use the phrase, “A very present help.”
Paul picks up on this idea in the wonderful passage he wrote about salvation:
But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (That is to bring Christ down), or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (That is to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (That is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:6-9)
Psalm 46 ends by saying, “The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.”
He is a refuge as close as faith. We trust and enter in and find a “Very present help in trouble.”
