Friday, March 10, 2006

Abundantly Available Help

God our refuge and strength,
Abundantly available help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear.
(Psalm 46:1-2)
I understand that first line to be a name by which God reveals Himself to us. It is the nature of His commitment to us, what we can expect from Him in our covenant relationship: shelter and strength. The “our” makes it personal.

Your Bible version may read “a very present help.” I prefer the margin note in mine, which reads “abundantly available help” (I always go with abundance).

God is abundantly available help for you in the time of trouble. This reveals God’s willingness to help. Many people realize that God is able to help in any situation. That requires very little faith. But what takes faith is to say that, not only is God able to help, but He will help (See God Will Deliver Us — Without a Doubt for a wonderful example of this in the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the fiery furnace.)

The Hebrew word for “trouble” means “narrow or tight; in anguish, distress or tribulation, beset by enemies, adversaries and foes of all kinds; pressed hard.”

Whenever you find yourself in a jam, a tight spot, “between a rock and a hard place,” God is more than willing to help. That’s why Jesus came. He will be your refuge, the place were you can go for safety. He will be your strength — you do not have to deal with adverse circumstances in your own strength. God is more than willing to help you, to protect you, to bring you out into a wide place.

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