By George Dakin

Wabash Presbyterian

Do you ever hear of the difficulties in people’s lives and wonder, “How in the world are they going to make it?”

Recently, while making a trip to Spokane and listening to the radio, I was struck by some of the incredible difficulties which plague the lives of ordinary folks like you and like me. As a pastor for nearly 30 years, I am more and more cognizant of how difficult a hand life has dealt various folks. Where do they go for help, I wonder? When their lives are crumbling and their dreams are sinking, where do they go?

I think the world of crumbling lives and sinking dreams was not a foreign concept to the author of Psalm 46 in the Old Testament. It’s there that the writer describes that kind of life like this:

“…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 46:2-3)

Ever been there? Maybe it even describes your life right now? The once firm foundations of your life, whether they be investments, relationships, employment or anything else that would comprise something of a foundational nature, are now giving way. The things that seemed so immutable, like the mountain in this verse, are now slipping below the foam and roar of the sea. Where do you go? To whom do you run?

The psalmist here paints this picture only after he paints a clear picture of who God is. He uses three terms to describe God: refuge, strength and ever-present help. In the Hebrew language, the original used for the book of Psalms, the word “refuge” indicated something of a defensive nature. The word “strength” generally signified something of an offensive nature. So in these two words you have the best of both worlds; an incredible defense and a strong offense. The words “ever-present” could also be translated “very-present.” In other words, in this description of God, the writer is hoping that we see that God is always present and is the best offense and the best defense we have when our world begins to crumble and our dreams begin to sink.

Is that something you need to hear today? It’s my prayer that you might be encouraged with this good news. I hope that if you are at the end of your rope, you might call out the God who is the best defense, the greatest offense and who is very present and desires to be alongside you.