Daily Word of Grace # 9 (March 27, 2020)

Psalm 46 is a powerful psalm that connects exactly with where we are today as we all find ourselves coping with a situation none of us saw coming, as we all continue to navigate uncharted territory, because Psalm 46 is all about dependence upon God.  It opens, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea” (46:1-2).  Why not fear in this time of pandemic and its multi-leveled fallout?  A few verses later the psalmist answers, “The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge” (46:7).  And then still later God speaks through the psalmist and shows us what it looks like to trust in God to be our “very present help in trouble,” what it looks like to become more aware of the reality that “the Lord of hosts is with us”—“Be still, and know that I am God” (46:10).  In other words, even if for just a few moments, turn off your phone, turn off your TV, turn off your other devices and be still in the presence of your Creator and Redeemer, be still in the presence of your Refuge and Strength, be still in the presence of the One who knows you better than you know yourself and loves you more than you could ever imagine, be still in the presence of the One who is indeed your “very present help in trouble.”  Sometimes dependence upon yourself falls short (let’s be honest, more than sometimes), but dependence upon God never falls short.  God will see you through—always has, always will.