IIT UBF - University Bible Fellowship at IIT

Daily Bread

God is Our Refuge and Strength

Date: Jul. 5, 2026

Passage

Psalm 46:1-11

God Is Our Fortress

To the choirmaster. Of the Sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. A Song.

46:1   God is our refuge and strength,
    a very present help in trouble.
2   Therefore we will not fear though the earth give way,
    though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
3   though its waters roar and foam,
    though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah
4   There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
    the holy habitation of the Most High.
5   God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;
    God will help her when morning dawns.
6   The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
    he utters his voice, the earth melts.
7   The LORD of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
8   Come, behold the works of the LORD,
    how he has brought desolations on the earth.
9   He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
    he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
    he burns the chariots with fire.
10   “Be still, and know that I am God.
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth!”
11   The LORD of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

Daily Bread

Key Verse: Psalm 46:7,11

7   The LORD of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

The earth and the mountains are two of the most immutable and impregnable things in nature. But even those can give way. Earthquakes do not happen often, but they do happen in some corners of the world. Torrents of rain can make mountains slide into the heart of the sea. Catastrophes can happen and disaster strike in life. There is no security in the world. Things like a health scare can happen to myself or to my beloved.

The psalmist knows there is security only in God. “God is our refuge and strength, and ever-present help in trouble” (1). He dwells in the city of God--the holy place, where a river of gladness flows. She will not fall (5). Although nations may be in uproar and kingdoms fall, the Lord Almighty is with us, his children (cf. Rom. 8:15-18).

Throughout Christian history, heroes of faith fought valiantly against those who hated God and his people. One of them was Martin Luther. He stood up against the corruption in the church, which threatened sincere believers and encroached on their freedom to worship God in the ways Scriptures prescribed. He overcame his fear by believing “the God of Jacob is our fortress,” which inspired him to write the hymn “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” (7,11).

Prayer: Father, thank you for being my fortress in times of trouble. Amen.

One Word: “The God of Jacob is our fortress.”

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Daily Bread

God is Our Refuge and Strength

Psalm 46:1-11

Key Verse: 46:7,11

7   The LORD of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

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