Psalm 46:1-3 is now available on all streaming platforms!
THE VERSES
[1] God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
[2] Therefore we will not fear though the earth give 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
Jesus said it loud and clear for all to hear. “In this world you will have trouble.” The question isn’t if trouble is coming for you, but when. When it does (which it certainly will), where will you run? What or who will you look to for security, peace, or hope? What will you say in the face of danger? Are you able to pray at all, and if so, what do those words sound like?
Here in Psalm 46, a lifeline is thrown to those who find their world rapidly unraveling. The psalmist hands the troubled soul a poem to read, a prayer to speak, and a song to sing. As we read, speak, and sing these familiar words, we come to realize we are not the first to be in this place of powerlessness and won’t be the last. Because of this reality, Psalm 46 is a necessary psalm for every human! Not just these three verses, but all 11 of them. We have put the entirety of Psalm 46 to song, and we are excited to be releasing them over the next few months. This week, we start with verses 1-3.
A Bold Declaration (Verse 1)
This psalm begins with a bold declaration in the face of an unspecified danger:
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
A few observations about this initial verse… First, it starts with God! Instead of starting with the magnitude of the problem (don’t worry, we’ll get there soon enough), the psalmist starts with the magnitude of God’s character. Also note that this prayer is a communal one. We’re not alone. “God is our…” In trouble, it’s far too easy to isolate but here we are reminded that we not only have a God but also we are a part of a people: God’s very family who are designed to cry out to Him alone and together. It is not good for man to be alone, and God knows this well!
Verse 1 tells us 3 particular things about Who God is for the troubled: First, He is our refuge. For the externally vulnerable, we have a shelter to run to in God; He doesn’t merely tolerate us but rather invites us to come to Him. Not only that, but we are also told He is our strength. To the internally weak and frail and tapped out, we are told He will be a source of power. Do you not have what it takes? It’s ok, God knows that and infuses us with His life and strength. Third, God is a “very present help in trouble.” In Hebrew, this would literally be read something like, “in trouble he will be found a help - exceedingly” or “...he is found greatly.” He is not only the God who is found, but also the God who is found to be near and available to us in trouble. We are not alone or abandoned, but find in God this cord of three strands that we desperately need: refuge, strength, and help.
The Surprising Result (Verses 2-3)
What’s the net effect of God being these three things? A rather surprising result and statement:
Therefore we will not fear…
Because of verse 1, we can speak what spills out in verses 2-3. We don’t simply try to talk ourselves out of fear or muster up faux courage! Instead, we intentionally and persistently set our gaze on God and Who He is in the midst of the madness. Because God is a refuge, our strength, and our very present help in trouble, we will not fear. Note that we are not told if the troubles are done away with, but rather are reassured that God is with us (we’ll see this even more later on in the chapter)! In an interesting word picture, the psalmist employs creation language to describe the undoing of the world’s order. The original order of creation established by God in Genesis 1 is here reversed into disorder! First, the earth gives way. The very stability under our feet that we take for granted every day in order to operate is being brought into question. Anyone who’s been through an earthquake knows exactly what this feels like! It’s unnerving and disorienting. We are also told that the mountains, symbols of stability and permanence, are moved into the heart of the sea. The sea for the Jew wasn’t a coveted vacation destination, but rather its waters were largely a symbol of chaos. Note that the sea’s waters were marked not by stillness but were roaring, foaming, and swelling. The words used here are often associated elsewhere with an agitated arrogance and pride. Ultimately, the psalmist was at a place where their entire world was unraveling and where the things they thought were a given were no longer a given. The chaos was taking over.
It’s precisely here where verse 1 steps back into the picture… To the one who has been “chaos-ed,” God is a refuge; He is a strength; He is a very-present help.
What about you? Do you see Him as a refuge that you run to? Your strength that you operate out of? Your help that you cling to? It’s only as we find God as such that we can say, “Therefore we will not fear…” Take time today to linger in verse 1 and verses 2-3. What stands out to you? What’s your eye or heart drawn to? What phrases do you need to hear or perhaps say to God? What feels hard to pray back to Him? As you sing and meditate on this song, let the truths, words, phrases, and cries of Psalm 46 slowly work their way deeper and deeper into your heart.
Happy meditating.
The Song + The Artists
This song was written and sung by Taylor Armstrong and Ethan Nathaniel. Production by Taylor Armstrong, Ethan Nathaniel, Ivan Theva, and Callan Brown. Engineered and mixed by Taylor Armstrong in Portland, OR. Mastered by Dave Wilton at Coalesce Studios in Lafayette, CO.
Ethan - Vocals, drums, piano, acoustic, and bass
Taylor - Acoustic guitar, vocals
Callan - Bass
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