“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, even though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea, Psalm 46:1 – 2 NKJV
We sometimes experience situations in life when help seems out of reach, when it appears we are to face life alone, when no one seems close enough to feel the pain and trouble life seems to be presenting us with. But no matter what the situation looks like, God, our present Help, is closer than we can imagine and is whispering to you, “How may I help you?”
John 5: 2 – 9 tells of the story of the sick man at the pool of Bethesda, who was desperately in need of help, but when the Present Help in trouble, Christ, got to him with the question, ” How may I help you?”, he preferred narrating how help seemed out of reach for him. Many times, we don’t see the help standing beside us with an everlasting arm of strength (Deut 33:27) present to provide the help we need; rather, we see the height of the mountains we are confronting, and we don’t realize help is always with us.
When the Israelites were trapped at the Red Sea (Gen 14)- Pharaoh’s army behind them, water in front of them, they saw two options: fight or surrender. But God saw a third: “Move forward.” (Exodus 14:15) Not backward. Not sideways. Forward! Into the impossible. And the sea parted because God was present.
When David faced Goliath (1 Sam 17), everyone saw the problem the same way: “We need a soldier strong enough to fight him.” But David reframed it: “I don’t need to be stronger. I just need to connect to the Present Help in trouble”. He didn’t pick up Saul’s armor. He picked up five smooth stones. Wisdom is not just about knowing the right answer. It’s knowing the right action and doing it.
In this season, stop staring at the mountains in front of you. Rather, start fixing your gaze on the very Present Help, The Lord our God! Stop thinking you have no man simply because no man has come to your aid. Start looking unto Jesus, the Pioneer and Perfecter of our faith. The help we all need is nearer than we could ever imagine. We, however, need to invite Him into our lives and situations, acknowledging Him as the Lord and Savior. We need to surrender our situations to him to take charge. We do this by faith and obediently follow His lead and instruction.