Psalm 46:1 – God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
One translation translates this verse like this, Ps.46:1 – “God is our refuge and strength, a very ready help in trouble”. So the Lord is present and ready to work on our behalf every moment of every day. He is present, He is always present. When we look to Him in faith we suddenly become aware of His presence.
So, think about the two things we find out about the Lord when we ponder the meaning of this verse. We first find out that He is present, He is always present even when we are not aware of His presence. Next, He is ready to help at any moment in any circumstance. David said that the Lord was his refuge and strength. So this is a description of the help we find in Him. Since He is my refuge I am hidden away in Christ. If I am literally in Him then nothing can touch me. The Lord is my refuge. We also see that the Lord is present and he is my strength. David said he killed a lion and a bear, we also know that he killed a giant by this strength that flowed into him from the One who is always present and ready to help. Here is how Spurgeon describes this.
“A very present help in trouble, or in distress he has so been found, he has been tried and proved by his people. He never withdraws himself from his afflicted. He is their help, truly, effectually, constantly; he is present or near them, close at their side and ready for their succor, and this is emphasized by the word very in our version, he is more present than friend or relative can be, yea, more nearly present than even the trouble itself. To all this comfortable truth is added the consideration that his assistance comes at the needed time. He is not as the swallows that leave us in the winter; he is a friend in need and a friend indeed.“
Maybe you need to just look at this verse and say it out loud, “God is my refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble”. He is with you when you feel abandoned and all alone, He is surrounding you when trouble comes, He is with you if everything is okay. He is with us every moment of every day and is ready to help, all that is left for us to do is to look to Him.