God Is Our Refuge and Strength — sacred illustration
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Strength & Courage

God Is Our Refuge and Strength

Psalm 46:1-3

Psalm 46:1-3 opens a song of the sons of Korah: God is our refuge and strength, so we will not fear even if the earth gives way and the mountains fall into the sea.

O God, You are my refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble. So I will not fear, even when the ground under my life gives way and the things I counted on are shaken. When the waters roar and foam around me, hold me steady. Be my help today, and be the refuge of everyone I love. Let my heart rest in You. Amen.

Psalm 46:1-3 opens a song of the sons of Korah: God is our refuge and strength, so we will not fear even if the earth gives way and the mountains fall into the sea.

The Scripture

“For the choirmaster. Of the sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. A song. God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth is transformed and the mountains are toppled into the depths of the seas, though their waters roar and foam and the mountains quake in the surge. Selah”

— Psalm 46:1-3

Prayer points from Psalm 46:1-3

  1. Thank God that He is your refuge and strength (v. 1).
  2. Ask Him to be your ever-present help in the trouble you are in today (v. 1).
  3. Name what feels like it is shaking or falling in your life (v. 2).
  4. Ask Him to replace your fear with trust (v. 2).
  5. Pray for people facing disaster right now, near or far (vv. 2–3).
  6. Ask Him to be the refuge of each person you love, by name.

About this verse

Psalm 46 is headed “Of the sons of Korah,” a family of Levites who served in worship at the temple. Its first three verses picture the worst thing people on land can imagine: the earth transformed, mountains toppling into the depths of the seas, waters roaring and foaming. And still: “Therefore we will not fear.” The reason is in verse 1: God is not a distant help but “an ever-present help in times of trouble.” The psalm goes on to a river whose streams delight the city of God, and to the famous call to be still and know that He is God (v. 10). Martin Luther drew his hymn A Mighty Fortress Is Our God from this psalm. This prayer is for anyone whose world feels like it is shaking, through a diagnosis, a loss, a layoff or a disaster, and who needs God’s strength to stand.

When to pray this prayer

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