Experiencing God's Presence #275

Experiencing God's Presence #275

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

Psalm 46:1, NKJV

In C. S. Lewis’s The Horse and His Boy, Bree (the horse) and Shasta (the boy) were chased through the night by a terrifying lion. They found out much later in the story that the lion was the good Aslan, who was actually guiding them, protecting them, and spurring them on in their journey. His terrifying presence was really their salvation.

That’s often how we experience God. When we’re in trouble, He seems distant. That’s because we hold an underlying assumption that hardship is a sign of His having abandoned us. Our minds know that isn’t true, but our hearts say otherwise. God seems far away when we’re struggling.

This psalm promises the opposite—that He is very present when we need Him most. He was present in delivering Israel out of Egypt, through the wilderness, and into the Promised Land. He was present in delivering Peter from Herod’s grasp and Paul and Silas out of a Philippian prison. But He was also present in the troubles of Jacob as he and God wrestled, in the painful words of the prophets, and in the trauma of the Cross. His Presence is often for our rescue but also often for difficult correction, teaching, or transitions. Either way, He is there for our good.

God is your refuge and strength—a refuge to protect you and a strength to help you overcome. Both defense and offense. Even when you are wrestling with Him, He is there to preserve and empower. The times you think He has departed from you are often the times He is most powerfully present. Whatever hardship you are struggling with, He is in it—guiding you, protecting you, and spurring you on in your journey.

Lord, I depend on You—even when You seem far away. I know You are with me in every circumstance, no matter how difficult or traumatic. Please let me experience You as a very present help in trouble.