Tuesday, March 18

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Psalm 46
God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.
Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Come and see what the Lord has done,
the desolations he has brought on the earth.
He makes wars cease
to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields with fire.
He says, Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.
The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.


Im not a big country music fan but I do occasionally listen to country tunes. It seems to me that a lot of country music songs are about trouble. Someone ran off with someones girlfriend; someone lost a job; someones dog got hit by a pick-up truck...and on and on it goes.

County song writers are just writing songs about what we all know is true; trouble is part of life.

In Job 5:7 we read:

Yet man is born for trouble as sparks fly upward.

My cell phone buzzed just as I started writing todays installment of “10 Minutes with God.” The voice on the other end of the call relayed news of a family facing a very troubling time. The trouble was not an atomic bomb or some kind of national crisis; it was trouble much more personal and much more devastating than any physical bomb.

When the ancient psalm writer faced trouble, he wrote:

God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.

Yesterday I mentioned that this psalm was likely written in the context of the nation facing a powerful enemy. We can also apply the psalmists words to our more personal battles.

Week after week I hear of people facing battles like cancer; depression; unemployment; bankruptcy; addiction; divorce. Where do we turn when trouble strikes near?

God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.
Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.

The psalm is telling us there are two promises that we can hang on to in our times of trouble.

First, the Lord Almighty is with us. One of the things that trouble of pain does is make us feel very alone or even abandoned. Notice the psalm says that God is our “ever-present help” in times of trouble. Even though we may feel isolated and alone, God does not abandon us. He is present to us even in our trouble.

Second, scripture teaches “the God of Jacob is our fortress.” A fortress is that which protects and provides safety from the enemy. I think the writer is thinking more here about spiritual safety than physical safety. God is the fortress of our hearts.

The Apostle Paul teaches that God protects our hearts through prayer.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

Are you facing some kind of trouble or pain today? Remember that God is with you and that Christ himself stands guard over your heart!

Lord,
Remind me by your Spirit that you do not abandon me in the midst of my troubles. Remind me that you are the fortress of my heart. Amen.

Pastor Brian Coffey

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