I went back to Psalm 46 this morning. While I concentrated on verse 10 yesterday, “Be still and know that I am God,” it was verse 1 that had my attention this morning. “God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.” [NKJV]

The Holman translates verse 1 as: “God is our refuge and strength, a helper who is always found in times of trouble.”

As I read through that verse in various translations, I stumbled across a footnote which defined “very present help” as “An abundantly available help.”

I know God has been my help during the times of trouble that shadowed my life in the past. But I live in the present—the now. I need God to be my refuge and strength today. I need to know that no matter what life, the enemy of my soul, or the world throws at me, my God is my “abundantly available help” now.

When Jesus gave the “Great Commission” to His disciples (“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you”), He also gave them the greatest of promises. “And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” [Matthew 28:19-20 HCSB]

In that promise, “I am with you always,” Jesus promised that He “is our refuge and strength, [our] very present help in trouble.”

Thank you, LORD!