“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging” (Psalm 46:1-3). 

How motivated are you by fear? You and I may excuse our fear as “just facing the facts” or “just being realistic.” Fear of this type means that even though we say we trust in Christ, we use earthly means to provide a layer of protection from our fellow human beings. We protect ourselves by where we live, how we spend our time and money, perhaps even how we vote or in the provisions we make for the future. We say, “It makes good sense.” But actually, we are afraid. 

In these cases, we are not living in the reality of God as our refuge and strength. Instead, our faith and trust lie in our wealth, our social standing or ethnicity, the location of our home, our politics, our mental toughness. 

How we spend our time and resources and what we put our weight behind are good indicators of where our trust actually resides.

Each of us can examine ourselves with the Holy Spirit and ask, “Lord, reveal to me the deep fears that I have. Give me grace to be able to see the ways that I try to protect myself rather than throwing myself on you for refuge. Show me how to live in an openhearted way toward other people whom you love so very much.”