God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. (KJV)
Psalm 46:1
"God is our refuge and strength." Notice that the Psalm doesn't mention soldiers, fortresses, or guns. God is the strength that gives us courage of character and courage of heart that enables us to overcome the forces of evil, temptation, and sin that attack us from every side. God keeps us in better shape that an enormous army ever could. With God beside us in moral battle, we don’t need tanks, bombs, and bazookas. We need only our Lord standing there with us.
The refuge that God gives to us is protection for our immortal souls. We are sheltered in God's warm, loving embrace that shields from the best efforts of Satan and his minions. We receive the grace to understand how to repel the arguments of our tempters. We have the strength and knowledge to see through empty promises and meaningless, transitory pleasures.
Remember how God stood by his humans in Biblical times. God was with the Israelites as they escaped from Egypt and set out on their trek to the promised land. God was with Noah and his family as they endured innumerable hardships while riding the waters of the flood.
Remember that God is with us in the twenty-first century just as God was with those who went before us.
Keep in mind the words of Paul in his letter to the Romans: "If God is for us, who is against us?" The answer can only be, "No one!"
Bob McCoy+
