Life is full of surprises and not all of them are wanted or welcome! Illness, grief, unemployment, relational breakdown and natural disasters are just a few of the unexpected circumstances that occur in life. They shake our foundations, challenge our faith and our connection with Jesus. How can we respond to these storms of life without giving in to fear or anxiety? How do we stay connected with God in the midst of unprecedented uncertainty?
“God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy habitation of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;
God will help her when morning dawns.
6 The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
He utters his voice, the earth melts.
7 The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
8 Come, behold the works of the Lord,
how He has brought desolations on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
He burns the chariots with fire.
10 “Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!”
11 The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.”
Psalm 46 ESV
Thought:
Psalm 46 gives us a window into how to deal with these unexpected and negative surprises of life. Verse 1 is a bold declaration about God’s character and faithfulness.
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
But this can easily be a challenge to us as readers;
Because Is He?
Is God our refuge and our strength in times of trouble?
Or are we trying to find refuge and strength by relying on ourselves, our wisdom and the constructs of humankind?
How easy it is to forget that God is always present, according to Psalm 46.1, very present in the midst of trouble.
Yet it can often be hard to access God in the midst of upheaval because of the amount of noise that chaos and pain produces. Imagine trying to have a phone call in the middle of gale; you wouldn’t be able to hear the person on the other end of the line because of the noisiness of your surroundings. In the words of Psalm 46;
“ …the earth gives way, … waters roar and foam, … the mountains tremble.”
God, by contrast, is a steady river streaming through the midst of us – Psalm 46.4.
The language of the psalmist paints a stark contrast between the loudness, randomness and inconsistency of turmoil verses the constant, unfailing and often quiet presence of God.
It’s the difference between a tumultuous sea and a steady flowing river.
Verse 10 of Psalm 46 is incredibly well known, “Be still, and know that I am God”.
But again, let us allow it to be a challenge as well as a reassurance because the hardest thing to do in the midst of a storm, is to be still. Yet this is exactly the call of Psalm 46 – that, no matter how bumpy the ride, we can find stillness and God’s presence tucked away like a steady river, right in the middle of it, deep in the centre of it all. The discipline of finding God’s presence within a time of turbulence can grow within us a greater perspective; the ability to see storms from a place of peace and not one of fear. Or as Lauren Daigle puts it in her song Peace Be Still:
“I'm not gonna be afraid cause these waves are only waves… I'm not gonna fear the storm, you are greater than it's roar.”
Invitation:
Being still requires time.
There’s just no shortcut. If we want to find God’s presence and peace in the middle of one of life’s deep upsets, we have to set apart time and lots of it. We hope that this playlist will be a tool for you to use to carve out the space and time you need to “be still, and know He is God”.
Prayer:
Father, Thank you are very present in times of trouble. Teach me how to find Your presence in the middle of this time of uncertainty and unknowns. I long to experience having You as my refuge and my strength. Holy Spirit, would you help me to turn away from the noise and the clamour of my circumstances and enable me to be still and be with You right now. I believe You will speak to me and I am ready and eager to hear Your voice. Amen.