Psalm 46:1 (NIV)
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”
This psalm speaks to people living in a world that feels unstable. The writer describes upheaval in the natural world and chaos among nations. Mountains fall, waters rage, kingdoms rise and collapse. None of that is minimized. Instead, the reader is called to respond by trusting God, who stands above both nature and history. Peace does not come from control or certainty, but from knowing that God remains present and powerful no matter what is happening around them.
It is easy for me to get distracted by the size and scope of world events. In our time, that distraction often comes through politics, conflict, and constant news. Those things can feel overwhelming and even decisive, as if they are the main story. This psalm reminds me that they are not. God is not reacting to history. He rules over it. The natural world and human affairs are both under his authority.
What I need to do is resist the temptation to treat my problems or the news cycle as the ultimate reality. That way of thinking places far too much weight on human power and far too little on God. Staying close to him puts everything back into proper proportion. Reading this Psalm, I am reminded of a line I had on a poster as a kid, a simple prayer asking God to “help me be a winner in his eyes first, and only then in my own.” That perspective matters. God is my refuge, despite the constant upheaval around me, and that is where my confidence belongs.