Sunday, October 25

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Psalm 46.1

“There’s trouble in River City” is a famous line from The Music Man. We may not live in River City, but there is trouble all around. There’s trouble in the economy, trouble in Michigan, trouble in Iraq and Afghanistan, trouble in the church. For some of us, trouble may be deeply personal, involving the loss of a job, a troubled marriage, illness, or grief.

Psalm 46 begins with a confession of faith and hope. Though troubles may abound, “God is our refuge and strength,” present with us in the midst of our troubles. God’s presence is made most visible in his Son, Jesus Christ. Among the names and titles by which Jesus is known, one is Emmanuel, which means “God with us.”

Today is Reformation Sunday, a festival observed by the Lutheran church on the Sunday on or before October 31. Martin Luther based his famous Reformation hymn, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God,” on Psalm 46. The time of the Reformation was a time in which there was much trouble, and Luther was personally involved in and affected by much of it. In the midst of that, he knew where his help and hope were to be found. A gracious God was his “refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” That same God will be your refuge and strength, and a very present help in the midst of whatever troubles you may experience.

Let us pray.
Almighty God, be our refuge and strength, this day and always. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Monday, October 26

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change,
though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;
though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble with its tumult.
Psalm 46.2-3

The closest I’ve come to experiencing literally any of the situations described in these verses of Psalm 46 was a minor earthquake felt in the movement of a sofa and confirmed by the swinging of a chandelier. Perhaps watching waves crashing onshore along Lake Superior would also count, but I’ve always done that from a safe place.

Others around the world have experienced devastating earthquakes, terrifying tsunamis, or storm surges from powerful hurricanes. Who would not be afraid in such situations?

These verses, though, begin with a “therefore” that provides another perspective. “We will not fear” because God is a very present help in trouble. In the midst of whatever frightens you, remember the presence of our Lord. He is our refuge and strength, even when our world is turned upside down and inside out.

Let us pray.
Almighty God, by your presence calm our fears and fill us with hope when chaos is all around. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Tuesday, October 27

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy habitation of the Most High.
God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be moved;
God will help it when the morning dawns.
Psalm 46.4-5

As we continue through Psalm 46, we move from a frightening situation of chaos to one that suggests the peace-giving presence of God. We’ve gone from roaring and foaming waters to a river that brings joy and gladness.

All is not well, however. Though the city seems to be a safe place, and one in which God is present, it is threatened by outside forces. But hope is not lost. The city will not be moved. God’s help will become visible “when morning dawns.”

Jesus Christ is described as the bright morning star whose appearance signals the coming of God’s saving presence. When the darkness seems overwhelming, God is still present, and help beyond our imagination is on the way.

Let us pray.
Oh God, sustain us by your presence in the darkness and in the light. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Wednesday, October 28

The nations are in an uproar, the kingdoms totter;
he utters his voice, the earth melts.
The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our refuge.
Psalm 46.6-7

Back and forth we go. From chaos in the creation to peace in the city, we move back to chaos. Now it is among the nations.

It is not difficult to make connections between these words and the world in which we live. I will leave it to you to ponder nations that are in an uproar and kingdoms that are tottering. Trouble among and within the nations includes the ongoing threat of terrorism that has become part of our lives.

In the midst of chaos and fear comes again the confession of faith. It centers on the presence of God, a presence that is traced to promises made long ago: “The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.” From Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, through Jesus and in the power of the Holy Spirit, God’s promised presence is for you.

Let us pray.
Gracious God, give us faith that clings to your promises and trusts in your presence amid the chaos that sometimes threatens to overwhelm us. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Thursday, October 29

Come, behold the works of the Lord;
see what desolations he has brought on the earth.
He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire.
Psalm 46.8-9

Today we are invited to “behold the works of the Lord.” Those works are described in a fascinating way. The Lord has brought “desolations” on the earth. The word suggests destruction on a massive scale.

But what has been destroyed? God has stopped war. Weapons of war have been destroyed. Give us such desolations!

In the midst of trouble and chaos that frighten us, we are given a vision of the peace that God promises. With such promises, God also invites us to live as peacemakers in a troubled world. And he points us to Jesus, who in his death and resurrection is at work to destroy even death itself.

Let us pray.
Almighty God, send your peace into all the earth and into our lives. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Friday, October 30

“Be still, and know that I am God!
I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth.”
The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.
Psalm 46.10-11

As we come to the end of Psalm 46, we are invited to a place of worship. We have pondered the presence of God with us in the midst of a variety of troubles. As we experience God’s presence and are renewed in faith and hope, we quietly turn to give thanks and praise to God.

Once again we confess our faith in God who is our “refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” The refrain of the psalm, with which it ends, encourages us to set our fears aside and to live with hope rooted in God’s saving presence.

This is not a Psalm only for times of trouble, helpful it is as it is in such days. It is a psalm and a prayer for every day and for you, to remind you where your hope is found.

Let us pray.
Almighty God, be our refuge and strength, a very present help in whatever trouble comes our way. Fill us with faith and with hope through your presence. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Saturday, October 31

For we hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the law.
Romans 3.28

Today is Reformation Day. At the heart of the Reformation is Martin Luther’s discovery of a gracious God. Luther had learned to know God as distant and full of anger toward people because of their sin. Through his study of the Bible, and especially Paul’s Letter to the Romans, Luther began to understand that God’s love was greater than his anger, and that through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, God freely gives forgiveness, life, and salvation to all who receive these gifts by faith

What Luther learned and taught is something we need to continue to hear as the good news that it is. There is nothing we can do to get closer to God. God comes to us in Jesus Christ, freely giving us what we can’t get for ourselves, a reconciled relationship with God and eternal life.

Let us pray.
Gracious God, we give you thanks for your love for us in your son Jesus Christ our Lord. Fill us with faith in you, and set us free to love you, to love our neighbors, and to care for your creation. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. Used by permission. All rights reserved.