A Very Present Help

Psalm 46:1-3 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

My day job is emergency management. That means I am supposed to know how to handle, manage, a pretty diverse range of crisis at a nuclear reactor. And I am supposed to know enough about the “how to” in order to train others on how to master the crisis that present themselves. I pray a lot for the right words and the right actions for myself and for those I am responding with and teaching.

At some point in our lives we will face problems that are difficult to understand or bear. These problems, or as Psalm 46 calls them – troubles, can be deeply troubling. The troubles can appear suddenly in our midst, or they can be long simmering. The troubles can be seemingly insignificant in nature to others, yet be huge in our own eyes. The magnitude of a crisis may be somewhat relative and/or subjective. Regardless of the magnitude (perceived or real) of the trouble, there is a common factor in resolution. God is that common factor in all of our troubles. There are many things in our lives that can be troubling. But all have that one common factor – God. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. I will offer one aspect of dealing with troubles in this devotional that can be of great help. It is called practice.  When do you pray about troubles?  Do you save your prayers about troubles for only the really big ones and try to handle the mundane stuff yourself? If that is the case you are really robbing yourself of a great opportunity to stay connected to our Father in heaven in a conversational tone. Think about this. Do you talk to your friends or your spouse about just the big things going on in your life, or do you talk about the big and the little things? Chances are you talk about the full range of things. It is part of having a relationship with others that is important. We talk about a lot of “stuff” going on in our lives. And they talk to us about a lot of “stuff” going on in their lives. It is an ongoing conversation we maintain in order to stay connected. That is the kind of relationship God wants to have with you and I. We need to talk about all the “stuff” in our lives. We need to stay practiced and develop and maintain the skill of staying connected. For when we are struggling to discern the will of God it can be that he is speaking, we just do not recognize his voice. Staying connected in prayer is one very important aspect of your life in Christ. Do not wait for events on the scale of the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling to start praying. Bring all things to the Lord in prayer.

PRAYER: Lord and Giver of Life, all to often we feel as if we should not bother You with the little things in our lives. This can be because we think ourselves capable of handling the little things and only relying on You for the big stuff. How foolish that must seem in Your eyes O God. Help us Father to remember that You have given us the faith we need to reach out to You for all parts of our lives no matter how small or insignificant they may seem. Help us to remember that You desire a relationship with us that is full and complete, not based solely on the crisis of the day. This we ask in the name of Your Son Jesus Christ who with the Father and the Holy Spirit are one, now and forever. Amen