Psalm 46

As a pastor, I have used Psalm 46 quite often, especially at funerals and times of crises, but this passage took on new meaning for me in October of 2001 while going on a missions trip to El Salvador. I went with a team from our church to build two of the one hundred forty-four Assemblies of God churches that were completely destroyed in the earthquakes in January and February of the same year. What took the churches years to build was totally destroyed in a matter of seconds.

While we were there we saw what it means for the earth to give away. On one of our trips, we drove past a set of mountains that were once a single mountain. The mountain just split into two as the top of the mountain turned into a mud slide.

We also had the opportunity to bring relief to a refugee camp by bringing clothes and food. Thousands of precious people, who once had homes, were now living in tin shacks and dependent upon whoever would come and bring food and clothing. They were completely dependent on the generosity of others. When speaking to the pastors and missionaries living their, I was amazed and inspired by their courage and confidence. Although everything was lost, their faith remained strong. They understood that the only thing on this earth that we can really trust is God. Everything here may fail, but our God is our Strong Tower.

Sometimes the mountains in our lives seem to split open. The things we thought were safe are destroyed. You may feel like life as you know it is falling apart, but the God of Jacob is your fortress. He is the place you can run to for hope.

May the Holy Spirit remind you of God's presence today.