A Very Present Help
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” (Ps. 46:1)
To get the whole message, you must read the whole Psalm. The writer (probably David), is speaking of God’s presence with us when trials come our way. God is a very present help in times of trouble. When we have trouble in our life or are troubled within, this Psalm should speak to us. We all need a hiding place from troublesome times and God is that place, a refuge from the storms of life. We often call on God when the advice of friends is of no comfort or when we run out of answers. This is where we should go, and can go because He is very present. The word “very” means truly. God is truly present at all times as we find in two New Testament verses. Jesus said to his disciples, “Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” (i.e. age)(Mt. 28:20) In Hebrews 13:5 “he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”
“I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings.” (Ps. 61:4) Isaiah 4:6 says much the same thing, with a couple of added thoughts: “And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the daytime from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm and from rain.” Psalm 32:2 ties this together and the man spoken of is Jesus. “And a man shall be as a hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.” Jesus, who is ever with us is that hiding place, and rivers of water and that great rock in a weary land. If you feel to be in that place, do not forget that Jesus is there, very present.
We sing a song that is familiar to most people. It is called “Jesus Lover of My Soul.” Allow me to quote part of the first verse. “Jesus lover of my soul, let me to thy bosom fly, while the nearer waters roll, while the tempest still is high.” In this hymn, Charles Wesley expresses what the Psalmist was saying. It is not just in times of peace within that we feel the presence of the Lord, but also when the tempest is at its highest. Later in this hymn, he says directly from Scripture: “Cover my defenseless head with the shadow of thy wing.”
God is not only our refuge but is also our strength. Paul said, “When I am weak, then am I strong.” (Rom. 12:10) When we stop trusting in ourselves, and leaning to our own understanding, then God shows Himself strong and says, “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Mt. 11:28) The help that you need is still strong and ever present.