Title: A Very Present Help in Trouble
Text: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Ps. 46:1 RSV).
Scripture Reading: Psalm 46:1–7
Introduction
The pathway of life is filled with difficult times, beginning with the difficult experience of birth. Starting school is a trying experience for a child. Having a child leave home to go away to college, the service or get married is difficult for parents. At times securing a job can be a tough experience especially when your over qualified or under qualified. For some there are many disappointments along life’s pathway.
At some point in our lives, we will face circumstances we feel are more than we can handle. All of us here have or will experience a deep empty and helpless feeling of being able to do nothing to change our situation.
This is the reason why the Lord gave us this 46th Psalm to let us know that God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in the time of trouble.
The Hebrew word for trouble (tsarah) literally means a narrow or tight place where a person is unable to move. It is also used to describe severe pressure. We all face situations beyond our control, but we do not have to face them alone. When trouble strikes, God is present. In fact, He is always there with us, immediately available to help us when trouble arises. The abverb very (mehode) indicates that He is exceedingly or speedily present. Not even a second goes by when we have to face our troubles alone, or in our own strength.
The death of a loved one is always a painful time in which those who remain stand in need of help. When grief comes yes we need the support of friends, family, and the family of God found in the church. But most of all we need God’s help.
The psalmist found in God the strength he needed for his time of trouble.
I. God is our refuge.
In the days of the psalmist, people needed a refuge in the time of storm and in the time of danger when enemies approached. Often they would build a refuge in the form of a tower on the top of the highest hill accessible. In this place of refuge they sought safety. Today God is the refuge to whom believers can go when threatened by the storms of grief.
II. God is our strength.
We can receive strength from our friends, our family, and even from financial resources. But the greatest strength that can meet the deepest needs of our lives when grief comes is that which can be found only in the Lord. He can give us the strength to adjust to new and difficult circumstances. He can give us the strength to look back and be grateful. He can give us the strength to look forward with hope.
The songwriter said,
God has not promised us sunshine….That's not the way it's supposed to be…..But a little rain…… mixed with God's sunshine…A little pain, makes us appreciate the good times……..so Be grateful, because there's someone else who's worser than you, be grateful…..Because there's someone else who'd love to be in your shoes….Be grateful, God said He would never, never leave you nor forsake you.
III. God is our helper.
God will help us through his Holy Scriptures as we claim his precious promises. And the Holy Spirit will come alongside us to serve as our Comforter.
The Psalmist cried in Psalms 121:1,2
I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.
So Why should i worry, why should i fret when I can Look back at all the ways he's made And every promise He has kept. That’s why I look to the hills from which cometh my help …….can I tell you where my help cometh?
It cometh from the Lord!!!
If I had a witness to testify tonight it would be Job…………
While most of us live with an awareness that our lives can change drastically—or even end—in the blink of an eye. In one day, Job lost his possessions, his employees, his livelihood, and, most tragically, his ten beloved children. In one day! Shortly after, Job also lost his health. Think of it: one day he had everything—prosperity, health, a thriving business, a loving family—and the next day, he lost it all.
Job’s experience proves that tomorrow holds no guarantees. I don’t know what tomorrow holds, but I know who holds tomorrow. We should not worry about the future, because our times are in His hands. (Psalm 31:15).
In other words, God will give you what you need when you need it.
He won’t put anything more on you than what you can bear.
Conclusion
God will give you the help you need for the future. He will help you with your burdens, and he will help you with your decisions. Let us always remember that “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
