Key scripture- “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1).

As Eugene Peterson paraphrases Psalm 46 in The Message Bible, “God is a safe place to hide.”

Chasah, or refuge, is a word that’s needed when we find ourself shaking because of tragic events in our country or in our lives that grab us by the neck and make us tremble. When you find yourself not sleeping very well due to some of these events call to mind Psalm 46 and that God is your chasah, “a very present help in trouble.”

Pastor, Charles Swindoll says that when you look deeper into this psalm it makes its summary statement at the beginning, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble”, then everything else hangs on that. Think of the first verse as the coat hanger, and all the clothing (verses 2–11) hangs on that hanger. The hanger, remember, is that: God is a refuge and very present help when you are all alone; God is a refuge and very present help when you awaken in the night filled with fear, and a cold sweat breaks out; God is a refuge and very present help, your strength, when events transpire that you cannot understand; God is a refuge and very present help when terrorists strike; God is a refuge and very present help when you lose our job; God is a refuge and very present help when you get cancer; God is a refuge and very present help when you lose a loved one; God is a refuge and very present help in a financial crisis. God is always your refuge and strength, a very present help.

If you take a closer look at the structure of the psalm, you’ll find the same word used three times at the end of verse three, Selah. The end of verse seven, Selah. And the end of the last verse, Selah. And so we find Selah. Selah. Selah.

Meaning what? Well, as best we can tell, Selah was an ancient musical notation. In biblical days “Selah” probably meant “pause.” One man said that every time he reads the Psalms and comes across “Selah”, he simply reads, “Pause and let that sink in.” Not bad.

The muse three selahs in this psalm give us the structure of the psalm. Verses two and three refer to times of physical catastrophe. Selah. “Pause, and here’s how to handle such things.”

“Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah”
(Psalm 46:2-3).

Verses four through seven refer to the threat of warfare. Selah. “Pause, let that sink in. This is how to respond to that.”

“There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah” (Psalm 46:4-7).

And in verses eight through eleven, when the future seems uncertain, this is how you handle that. Selah. “Pause and let that sink in.”

“Come, behold the works of the Lord, how he has brought desolations on the earth. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire. “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah” (Psalm 46:8-11).

Psalm 46 is a psalm of God’s chasah. He is our refuge, a very present help in times of trouble, and what comfort that brings! So as you go through your day:

No need to panic; pause.
No need to fret and fear; pause.
And in place of worry and anxiety, pause. The foundation is firm. The Lord is our refuge. He is our present help in trouble.
Pause, let that sink in.

Pray this – Our Precious Heavenly Father, no matter what happens today I will not panic but instead I will pause and let this sink in – The God of the universe, my Father, is my chasah, my refuge. He is a very present help in times of trouble. He is always with me and in control. He is my stronghold, my strong hightower. I live in His shelter and I rest in His shadow. Nothing will defeat me or destroy me, because I am more than a conqueror, I live in a position of victory because I am a Child of the Most High God. I am not a victim of my circumstances but a powerful weapon for the Kingdom of God. In the Powerful Name of Jesus’ I pray, Amen.

Credit: The Holy Bible
Psalm 46:1
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