Who Is God?

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea" (Ps 46:1-2)

"Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!" (Ps 46:10)


We live in troubled times. That is something that my generation has not known a whole lot of. Yes, we faced recessions, but they reversed course fairly soon only to push our prosperity to higher heights. Now, we may be faced with a time of declining fortunes and prospects, and the resultant shifts that are part of these upheavals create unsettling fears.

In Psalm 46, God is described first as a "very present" help in times of trouble. He is not an absentee God who only looks upon us with disengaged interest, but instead He is near to us in the times of our struggle and trial. Even if the world were to fall apart around us (and sometimes it can feel that way), He is near to us.

Because we face desperate moments, our temptation is to run around doing this or doing that. We want to remedy our situations as quickly as possible, and if we aren't in control of the solution to our problems, we'll busy ourselves with deep states of worry. Paralyzed, we sit contemplating all the terrible possibilities, our brains running 100 mph, while our bodies are unable to move.

It is at those times that God most wants us to remember who He is. Instead of worrying about the things we cannot control, He would like us to recall what we know of Him. He is God of the universe, who spoke every quark and atom into existence. He spoke and out of nothing came everything we know. He knit us lovingly together in our mother's womb, and declared that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. He thinks constantly about us, with thoughts for us that outnumber the grains of sand on the seashore. He knows the plans He has for us, plans for welfare and not calamity to give us a future and a hope. He orders the steps of a righteous man. He works all things for the good for those who love Him and have been called according to His purposes. He makes all things new and His mercies are new every morning. Great is His faithfulness. He will never leave us nor forsake us. The Earth is the Lord's and all it contains.

The God who is all these things can do anything and has a good plan for our lives. If we are His, then these promises are not exempt from us, but rather they were spoken specifically for us! If He is for us, who can be against us? Nothing in all creation can separate us from His love. If we are going through struggles, He will make our paths straight.


Lord Jesus, forgive me when I grow discouraged and when I forget who You are and what You've promised to us. I know You are faithful even when I feel like I'm in the bottom of a pit of miry clay. I do not need to worry because Your plans are good for my life, even if my life never comes out the way that I've imagined it would be. Regardless of how it all flows, me and my house will serve You, Lord God.