God is our Refuge Psalm 46

In moments of crisis, we do not look for clever words. We look for God's Word. Psalm 46 was written in the fire of crisis. It comes from the sons of Korah-the worship leaders of Israel-who often wrote their psalms in the middle of crisis. It may have been written after God delivered Jerusalem from the Assyrian army in the days of King Hezekiah. Jerusalem was surrounded by the enemy. Supplies were running low. Families huddled together, and it felt like the ground beneath them was giving way. And then, in one night, God acted. The angel of the Lord swept through the enemy camp and delivered His people. No wonder they wrote: "God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble."

Psalm 46 was written for times when the world shakes, when the strongest mountains crumble, when the waters roar and foam. It was a strong declaration of God's people: "The Lord of Heaven's Armies is with us; the God of Israel is our fortress." Martin Luther leaned on this psalm during his own siege-spiritual, political, and personal. In the storms of the Reformation, Martin Luther wrote "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God," which came from Psalm 46 and became the anthem of courage in crisis. And you may be in a similar place today. The storm may be getting progressively worse. Your circumstances, your fears, and your burdens may be overwhelming you. That is exactly the moment for Psalm 46. Not when life is calm, but when life is chaos. Not when we feel strong, but when we feel shaken.

The psalmist is overwhelmed in crisis-overwhelmed by his circumstances. He is feeling the earth quaking, the mountains crumbling, and the oceans roaring. That is his way of saying, "It feels like the bottom has dropped out. It feels like everything that felt stable is suddenly giving way." But listen to how he starts in Psalm 46:1 (NLT): "God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble."

God is our refuge. That word, "refuge," paints the picture of a mountain cave. It is a hiding place when the storm is raging. It is a place where you can huddle down and know you will be safe until the storm passes. Verse 1 also says God is our strength. It is not just "God is strong"-it is "God is our strength." This is God giving us His strength when He knows ours has run out. And then verse 1 says: God is always ready to help in times of trouble. It means God is always right there, and always ready to help. Other versions say God is a very present help. It means, "a help that is always there." In our times of trouble and mounting crisis, God is our proven, faithful, reliable help.

Because God is our refuge and strength, and because God is always ready to help, Psalm 46:2-3 (NLT) says: "So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea. Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge!" Because God is our refuge, our strength, and here with us ready to help, we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea. Buildings survive earthquakes not because they look strong on the outside but because they have the deepest foundation. And so, when the earth beneath you shakes, what matters most is how deep the foundation is that you are standing on. In this world we will experience tribulation. The ground beneath us will tremble and shake. We do not have to pretend it is not. But we do need to know: our God has not changed. We can run to Him and be safe. He is our refuge and our shelter. And so the psalmist sings defiantly: let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge.

Then in verse 4, the psalm shifts from the roaring seas of the tribulations of this world to a river that brings joy where God dwells. Psalm 46:4 (NLT): "A river brings joy to the city of our God, the sacred home of the Most High." While the world is in chaos, God's people are sustained by the life-giving river of His presence. God brings a river that refreshes and restores our strength. In the face of floodwaters that seem to be tearing things apart, the "Living Water" of the river of God brings life. Jerusalem does not have a great river, but it has something better-God Himself. Because God dwells there, that city "cannot be destroyed" and "cannot be moved." Psalm 46:5 (NLT): "God dwells in that city; it cannot be destroyed. From the very break of day, God will protect it."

That is a stark contrast to the earth shaking and the mountains trembling. The ground beneath you may shake, even violently, but what God holds never collapses. Psalm 46:6 (NLT): "The nations are in chaos, and their kingdoms crumble! God's voice thunders, and the earth melts!" When we are surrounded by crisis and chaos, we can drink from the river of God's presence. That is what we need when the ground is shaking beneath us. We cannot always calm the chaos around us, but we can drink deeply of the "Living Water" that Jesus is within us. His presence flows into every crisis, every trial, and every tribulation. God's voice thunders, and the earth melts. The circumstances may rage around us. The crises may pile up to overwhelming. But the Lord of Heaven's Armies is here among us. He will bring us through the storm. Look at Psalm 46:7 (NLT): "The Lord of Heaven's Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress."

Our God is the Lord of Heaven's Armies, and He is here with us. He is our safe place where we can hunker down, cling to Him, trust Him, and know that He will bring us through. And so the psalmist invites us to "Come and see" the glorious works of the Lord. There is no circumstance that He cannot obliterate. There is no battle that He cannot end. Look at Psalm 46:8-9 (NLT): "Come, see the glorious works of the Lord: See how he brings destruction upon the world. He causes wars to end throughout the earth. He breaks the bow and snaps the spear; he burns the shields with fire." Our God is our refuge and our strength. He is in our battle with us, and He will be our victory.

And God calls us to be still and trust Him. Psalm 46:10 (NLT): "Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world." When you are overwhelmed, your instinct may be to fight to fix it all-or it may be to become paralyzed with fear and anxiety. But whatever your instinct is, God says: "Be still." It means stop striving and start trusting. It is unclenching your fists and opening your hands to God, releasing to Him all that you cannot fix and all that you cannot handle. And when He says, "Know that I am God," the word know is not referring to information-it is referring to experience. God is not asking you to just agree; He is inviting you to experience Him as God in your crisis. Right where you are, with the ground beneath you trembling-stop and experience the presence and person of Immanuel, "God with you."

That is why the psalm ends with verse 11. Psalm 46:11 (NLT): "The Lord of Heaven's Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress." Fortress is a word for a high stronghold, built above danger, unreachable to the enemy. That is who the Lord is for you. As a child tossing and turning in fear at night, a father scoops them up, holds them close, and whispers, "Be still. I've got you." That is what God wants to do with you in your crisis. You cannot control the circumstances, trials, and tribulations of this life. But you can be still and declare: "You are God. You will be exalted. You are my refuge in this storm."

So what do we do when crisis hits? When we feel crushed under one wave after another? We run to Him as our refuge-we do not carry it alone. We rest in His presence-because He is with us in the chaos and in the storm. And we release control. We be still and let God be our refuge, our strength, and our ever-present help in time of trouble. When the world shakes, God does not. When the waters roar, God brings peace. When you do not know what tomorrow holds, you can rest in the One who holds tomorrow. You do not have to hold it all together-because God is holding on to you.

Let's pray. Lord, when our hearts are heavy, when we are feeling crushed beneath our circumstances and our crisis, we will run to you-because you are our refuge, our strength, and our very present help. Teach us to be still and know that You are God. Amen.