What Are the Mountains in Your Life? Why God Is Our Refuge in Times of Chaos

This blog post is based on a recent sermon I preached on Psalm 46, exploring God as our true refuge in an uncertain world.

I want you to imagine for a moment what you would do, or how you would respond personally, in times of trouble. How would you feel? It may not be the nicest thing to think about, but I want you to consider what your genuine gut reaction might be.

I would imagine that this looks very different depending on the person. As I was thinking about this, I came up with two types of people.

The first group may find it really difficult and want to take matters into their own hands. They are fixers who want to take control of the situation themselves, relying on their own strengths and abilities.

We put ourselves at the centre and expect that it all falls on us to fix. I would place myself in this group.

The second group may find it easier to manage challenging situations because they have past experience of dealing with them, or perhaps they don't fully understand the scale of the situation they are in. Either way, they remain relaxed and composed.

Regardless of how you respond to times of trouble and what you may feel, we can seek comfort in knowing that God is constant and unchanging.

The good news is that God's refuge in times of chaos is not conditioned on our feelings or our reaction to times of difficulty.

If you're a Christian, you can rest knowing that He is faithful to His people and won't allow you to be out of His reach.

As we look at the first few verses of this Psalm, we get to see a true picture of what life with God looks like and what it means to put your trust in Him.

Straight away, the psalmist makes this bold assertion. Who is our refuge? Verse 1 tells us:

"God is our refuge and strength."

There is no doubting that the psalmist is looking in the right direction.

But the tragic reality is that so many people go about living their lives by taking the word "God" out of that line and replacing it with something else, sometimes, unfortunately, including Christians.

They may say, "My career is my refuge and strength. My wealth is my refuge and strength. My spouse is my refuge and strength."

All of these things, even someone as loving and loyal as your spouse, cannot meet those demands. But God can.

And so the psalmist is essentially saying: Look, if you want to find true refuge and safety, look no further! Don't look at what the world has to offer; look to God! He will meet all your needs.

How do we know this? Looking a little further down verse 1, we see that He is "an ever-present help in trouble."

He is at work in our situation, whatever that situation may be, right now!

And because of this confidence in the Lord's unfailing love for His children, we have no reason to fear, even in the most extreme situations we may find ourselves in.

Look at verses 2 and 3. The psalmist paints this dramatic image of:

• The earth giving way.
• Mountains collapsing into the sea.
• Waters roaring and foaming.
• Mountains trembling.

I want you to imagine standing in front of a mountain for a moment. We have lots of them here in Wales. Imagine yourself doing the Welsh 3000s and seeing a mountain being picked up from the ground and thrown into the sea!

It sounds impossible, but the language here is intentional. In the ancient world, mountains represent permanence and stability. If even the mountains fall, then nothing in creation appears secure.

It's an incredible illustration, and it shows that even the most stable things in life, the things which can look indestructible and reliable, can be shaken. It's a harsh reality, but it's the truth. Let this be a massive wake-up call for all of us.

I wonder, what are the 'mountains' in your life? What are those things you cling to, thinking they will satisfy you? What feels permanent and secure?

Your health? Your job? Your finances? Your family?

This passage is a brutal yet loving reminder to us that even the good things in life can be shaken.

I mentioned at the start of this section how you might feel in times of trouble and what your response might be. I'm sure you don't need to imagine that, as this is something we have all had to deal with for real.

More often than not, life isn't easy. It can be a real challenge, filled with heartache, pain and despair, and the Psalms make that clear.

And yet, if you are a Christian, you can rest knowing that God's people do not need to fear because He stands firm as our unfailing refuge in times of trouble.

Notice the contrast in these verses. Creation is presented as unstable and unreliable, yet God is the complete opposite.

The reason why Christians have no reason to fear isn't because the world is safe, but because God remains the same even when the world changes.

Look at verse 2: "Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth give way."

We can say that with complete certainty.

Think of it like this. Even when the economy crashes. Even when I get my medical results back. Even when a global pandemic occurs. Even when the world seems to be falling apart. Even if the unthinkable happens…

How do we respond? Without fear!

And this is the broad message of the Bible, isn't it?

We have no reason to fear because, as Christians, we know that we have God's protection and strength. For He is with us always.