The world right now is a tumultuous place.
Dangers and threats of a global scale persist, threatening to expand beyond the control of world leaders, governments and international institutions.
The war between Russia and Ukraine is taking another, perilous turn. The conflict in the Middle East threatens to worsen dramatically. Territorial claims and counter-claims in the South China Sea remain another source of international tension.
“Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea” [Image credit: Benjamin Jones, United States Geological Survey]
These are only the headline dangers. Readers in the UK and in the US are among those who have witnessed political violence in recent weeks. Drought, famine and natural disasters can be added to war and conflict as a source of threat.
Each one of us can tell of difficulties and troubles. We at Barnabas Aid know this well.
Yet while the threats and dangers that face us are beyond our control, they are not beyond the Lord’s control, as the Psalmist so clearly affirms.
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.
Psalm 46:1-3
Psalm 46 reminds us, firstly, that God is our ever-present help in whatever we face in this world.
“God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you’”, asserts the writer to the Hebrews (13:5), echoing the words of Moses (Deuteronomy 31:6).
Secondly, the Psalm also speaks of a future hope – the assurance that one day our troubles will be over, on the day when we take our place in the city of God ( vv.4-5) and “He makes wars to cease to the ends of the earth” (v.9).
This is the hope of all those who trust in the Lord through trials, fears, troubles, persecution and suffering.
“The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress” (v.11).
