“…that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith…” Ephesians 3:16
In Psalm 46, the Psalmist speaks of God being our refuge and strength, “…a very present help in time of trouble.” (v. 1) He goes on to speak of the circumstances where God is to be known as such. But before he elaborates on these circumstances, or troubles, he declares: “…therefore we will NOT fear.” Why does he say this at the beginning of this psalm? It is because the believer is called upon to know God in a very specific way in times of trouble. Even the Lord Jesus spoke of trouble that the believer would know: “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.” (Jn. 16:33) In the trouble that Jesus knew leading up to his betrayal, trial, and crucifixion, He appropriated the strength of His Father, His keeping and sustaining power, by the Spirit, to enable Him to overcome it. And so, the believer is called upon to know Christ in times of trouble, tribulation, or persecution. God remains his refuge and strength, a “very present help in time of trouble.” But how is one to know God as one’s refuge, keeper, fortress, the preserver of one’s faith and soul in times of trouble?
First, it must be understood that our eyes are to look up and beyond the circumstances at hand to the One who is sovereign in His power and authority. Christ is always the answer for every need and this in every moment. Our vision of Him in His greatness is to be bigger than the trial, or circumstance. In Elisha’s day, when surrounded in the town of Dothan by a hostile army, his servant was overwhelmed one morning to see the enemy army waiting to come and seize Elisha. It was then that Elisha told his servant: “Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.” (2 Kings 6:16) The call of God to the servant was to look beyond the visible to the invisible to that which was more real. It is then that Elisha prays for his servant, asking the Lord to “…open his eyes that he may see.” (v.17) The eyes of the young man were opened, and he saw “…the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.” The remedy to the servant’s fear was the sight of the glory of God revealed in the horses and chariots of fire, realizing that those from heaven were more than the opposition army surrounding the city.
The Psalmist paints a very clear picture of the troubles that can surround the believer. But then he speaks of the power and effect of One who is superior than all of these troubles and circumstances, declaring even that this river, Christ, makes glad the city of God. That which is central and foundational to the faith of the believer is the issue of the proximity of God to the heart. It is for this reason that the Psalmist declares: “God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her and that right early.” (46:5) The same is true of Christ “…dwelling in the heart by faith.” Paul makes this very clear that out of this union with Christ, this oneness with Him brought about at the time of one’s conversion, or the new birth, Christ by His Spirit comes to dwell in the heart. But there is a vast difference between knowing this intellectually, and knowing the reality of His power, His resurrection power in the heart. John the Apostle wrote: “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because greater is He that is within you than he that is in the world.” (1 Jn. 4:4) The objective truth is that Christ is IN the believer, but he needs to pray and trust the Lord to reveal His presence.
Dear Father, Strengthen us to see. In Jesus’ name, Amen.