Present Help

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

(Psalm 46:1, NKJV)

There are days when I have felt overwhelmed by different issues of life, worst of all when there is a sense of sadness in the circumstances.  Such moments are dark and leave me numb, taking away the energy to do anything else.  The feeling of being helpless and not being in control could easily turn into thoughts of being a victim of the situation.  Admittedly, we all tend to react differently in such moments, some people speak non-stop; others take a long walk alone, others lock themselves up; others scream; others run as if to disassociate themselves from the experience.  Regardless of how we act out, we all will be acknowledging that something beyond our ability to bear has happened. Psychologists will tell us that even with the discomfort of the experience, it is important to sit in that space for a while just to acknowledge what is happening.  Once we have taken it in, we are then not to wait there endlessly but to remember that we pass through.  David in Psalm 23:4, reminds us that there are times we pass through the shadow of death, the emphasis here is “through”, we do not arrive in the shadow, we move through and to the light as the Lord leads us out.

It is in such intense moments of confusion that we are reminded of our reference verse, that our God is a present help.  We might not see how things will turn out and we might not even know the presence of God when in the thick of things, but in keeping with the faithfulness of God’s word, we know He is with us to help us.  When we allow ourselves to take in this assurance of His presence despite of physical circumstances, we welcome a ray of light into the surrounding darkness.  It is in such moments that David said he would lift up his eyes to the hills where his help came from (Psalm 121:1-2).  He understood that God was not only his help but that He would not let David’s foot slip.  As God watched over Israel, so was He watching over David (Vs. 3-8).  Beloved, the Lord continually watches over you too and regardless of what is happening around you, you can be confident of His presence.  God reassures us in His word that nothing takes Him by surprise, He is right there and ready to help us.

(Romans 8) is a great chapter when we find ourselves in doubts and moments of challenges, it does not matter what is happening around us, we will remain victorious, the end is in our favour.  We read that nothing can ever separate us from the love of God (Romans 8:38-39), it does not matter the magnitude of the challenge, our God is up to the task.  Brethren, when we stand in the identity of who we are in Christ, then we can also declare that all things will work out together for our good, for we love Him and have been called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).  No matter what we face, we know that our strength is in the name of the Lord, He is the maker of heaven and earth (Psalm 124:8).  When situations come our way, may we learn not to magnify them but instead, may we exalt our God who says that nothing is too hard for Him to handle. (Matthew 19:26).  That which we find impossible with us, is possible with Him.  May we learn to turn the page quickly, stepping through the experience and trusting our loving God to light the way for the next step. 

Thoughts:

What mountains are before you?

How have you used your faith to navigate the challenges of life?

Have you kept memorials of God’s victory in your life?