An ever-present help in time of trouble. Ever-present, how can this be?
Always there, never absent, continually ready to come forth, to appear, to meet, ever-existing, finding, acquiring, occurring, and never-ending.
Who has known this kind of presence before? Yet, even if we have not yet known it, haven’t we sought after it in so many places?
A presence that is always ready to be with us, eager to help, able to understand and meet our needs, to come forth at exactly the right time to be exactly what we require.
We turn, looking for this kind of helper…
Our wife, husband, kids, parents, and family. But they are unable.
Our society, culture, employer, government, financial institutions, modern medicine and the world’s finest, most innovative minds. None of these are able either.
All of them will fail us in some way, let us down, and not live up to expectations. Yet, even though they fail, many of us still trust in them, at least to some degree. We place a percentage of our confidence and our hope in them. We look to them in times of trouble, and place expectations upon them to meet our needs.
None of these have the power to be an ever-present help in time of trouble. Even if all were to join forces together, working in unity, as one, towards this goal, still they would fail.
None are able, except One.
The One who is continually there, here and everywhere. “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?” If I go to the ends of the earth, you are there. If I go to the deepest depths, you are there.
It is only this One whose presence we cannot escape, whose eyes “roam to and fro throughout the earth.”
There is only One who is able to save, “Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, That it cannot hear.”
It is only God, who is, “our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”
Let us then turn to Him as the refuge, strength and ever-present help that He is. Let us turn aside from every other help, any other that we have loved more, trusted in more, put our confidence in more, or relied upon more than Him.
For He is able, He is the only One, and He is a jealous God.
“Brothers and sisters, we must need nothing else, for He satisfies every need, and in Him we lack nothing. In Him we can truly, confidently and with full assurance say, ‘I have enough!’ Therefore to turn to anything else for any need, before turning to Christ, is idolatry. For he was able to meet that need, but we have chosen the arms of another lover.” - I have enough
Let us repent for such dependence on other helpers and encourage ourselves today in the ever-presence of God as we read through the rest of Psalm 46:
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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. Selah.
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. Selah.
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. Selah.
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Let it be so in our lives today. May He be the One.
In love,
Derek