Ever-present help

Psalm 46:1-3 (NIV) God is our refuge and strength,
    an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.

There have been a few times in my life where I have felt my earth give way, and my troubles seem like a mountain the size of, well, a mountain. Looking up at the mountain can be scary. Looking at the ground crumbling beneath me can be terrifying. During the low points of my life, I have two options; be stuck in my fear, or reach out to God. I remember this verse, where it says God is our ever-present help in trouble. That is sweet peace in the chaos. Ever-present. Always there. More than just there though, He is our help. He is active in our lives, not just a bystander. He is our refuge in the craziness of life, He is our haven. I know for a fact, as I am sure all of you do, this world is a dark and scary place. People are out to cut you down, demands of life are always pulling you in different ways. It's nice to have a safe haven to run to, a refuge in the midst of it all. David goes on to say God is our strength as well. I will be the first to admit I am weak. Not in the lifting weight sense, but the weak without God sense. I cannot do it alone. With Him, I can do all things, without Him, I am a wreck. A big one. I am glad that He is my strength to make it through. 

Whatever you are facing in your life right now, I know that God can help you. I have been in some deep valleys and thought, "I'm a hopeless wreck! There is no way God will help me out of this one." Every time I needed Him though, He was there. He was my help. And He can be your help too. I am not someone of great fame or fortune, God doesn't care about those things anyway, but if He will help me, He will help you as well. He is not a respecter of persons, we are all His children. So be encouraged today, that no matter what it is you are facing, He is our ever-present help. We don't have to fear. Fear is a tool of the enemy, to get your eyes off of Christ. I have found the best way to stave off the fear is to praise your way through it. The enemy hates it when we praise God, it confuses him. 

Psalm 116:1-7 (GNT) I love the Lord, because he hears me;
    he listens to my prayers. He listens to me
    every time I call to him. The danger of death was all around me;
    the horrors of the grave closed in on me;
    I was filled with fear and anxiety. Then I called to the Lord,
    “I beg you, Lord, save me!” The Lord is merciful and good;
    our God is compassionate. The Lord protects the helpless;
    when I was in danger, he saved me.  Be confident, my heart,    because the Lord has been good to me.

"He listens to me every time I call to Him", "When I was in danger, He saved me". There are some powerful words in these verses. When we call out to God for help, He is there. We can be confident, because of the faithfulness of God. We know He will never fail us, or forget us. He sees what we go through, and He cares. He is good!

This is my prayer for whoever reads this, wherever you are. Whatever you are facing, I pray that God will be your ever-present help in trouble and you can see the goodness of Him in your life. Everyone is facing some kind of battle, but God is big enough to take care of us all. So rest in Him, knowing He cares for you!