God is our Refuge

January 12th, 2026
by John Thweatt

For the last few weeks, I’ve been memorizing and meditating on Psalm 46. Elizabeth Elliott lost two husbands—one to martyrdom and the other to cancer. She said,

“Everything that has seemed most dependable has given way. Mountains are falling, earth is reeling. In such a time it is a profound comfort to know that although all things seem to be shaken, one thing is not: God is not shaken!”

I talk to a lot of people who are shaken by the events going on in the world around us. I hope this psalm with offer you some comfort today. There are three stanzas and we find them with the little word “Selah.” It is simply a word that encourages you to stop and consider what you’ve just read.
First, we see the protection of God in verses 1-3.

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 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”

I’d suggest that when He protects us He does three things. First, as our refuge, He hides us. He is strong, He is secure, He is our shelter…He hides us.
He is not just our refuge—He is our strength. He is omnipotent. Whatever we face He is able…you and I will never face a single thing that He is not able to do something about it. He hides us.
He also holds us. When trouble comes, we can hide in Him as a refuge and know that He holds us and keeps us. He is “a very present help in trouble.”
It would be tempting, like the preachers of old, to say, God hides, God holds, and God helps, but that isn’t what the psalmist is saying…He doesn’t say God helps us; rather, he says God is our help.
He is the support, He is what we need because we are vulnerable and we are helpless. It is true—all we need is God. So, we must simply say, God hides us, God holds us, and God simply is…He is all that we will ever need. He is our only help!
Notice the extent of verse one as he lays it out in verses 2-3…We do not have to fear natural disasters of extreme calamities. That doesn’t mean we don’t take shelter when storms come…we don’t stand on the beach and shout at the hurricane, we don’t stand in the yard and laugh at the tornado, but when the storms of life come, we don’t cower in fear.
I think the psalmist is taking us beyond the normal storms of life—this the stuff of revelation—this is a picture of the end of times. The earth gives way, the mountains fall into the sea, the waters roar and foam and while the mountains which seem unmovable tremble we take refuge in God. He is able to hide us, He is able to hold us, and He is simply our help regardless of the situation.
We will look at the second stanza tomorrow, but for now—work on this…Keep your eyes on Him.