Ever-Present Presence

Psalm 46:1-3 NIV:
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.

This has become one of my favourite Bible passages of all time. In a world that recognises effort and labour, it is humbling to note that help to succeed isn't from man or from labour, but from God himself.
We were brought up with the impression that you were only entitled to things you fought for. Nothing good was free so you had to pay a high price for it. Some sacrificed their family and relationships for the world's success while some sold their souls to darkness just for a few moments in the spotlight. Some went to extremes, taking a life to keep their own lives, being deceived into thinking that there was anything any man could do to elongate his life or improve it on his own. We had been brought up to know that 'Heaven only helps those who help themselves', a claim some people deceptively tell you is in the Bible. But from the little God has taught me, I have come to understand that even if anything is expected from me, it is my availability and total dependence on God and his power. If I come to God claiming human ability or strength, I am simply telling him that I can manage by myself. I tell God that I can do a few things on my own too. But if I come to him in my fraility and humanness, totally dependent on his enabling grace and power, I'm simply telling God that I'm weak and powerless on my own, and only His power can uphold and sustain me. That is true strength: an acknowledgement of your limitations and the readiness to trust the right source for strength.
Note that there's no offence emphasized here: its all about God first and his defence. It is only a man who has Godd as his defence and refuge that can face enemies without fear. Read with me again: God, not man, riches, possesions position, power or prestige, is our refuge and strength. He is an 'ever-present help'. Anytime, anyday, in any circumstance, he's the answer to all of life's questions, no matter how complex. He introduced himself to Moses as the I Am that I Am, and till now, ages after, God is still current and active, working to show himself strong in the lives of those who are fully trusting in Him.
It is only when God is your strength that you have nothing to fear. The fear of God in a man's heart leaves no room for any other kind of fear, but a heart that seeks after man's approval and has no fear of God has everything else to fear, even God. The Psalmist could declare that he had nothing to fear because he had made God his refuge. No matter the shaking and the tempest, a man who has God as his refuge will smile at the storm.
As you move out today, check your surroundings. Is God the only refuge you have or is  he another option? Does he hold all the cards in your life or are there other competitors demanding for your allegiance and devotion?
Since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us worship God with reverence and with awe, for our God is a consuming fire. Rejoice as you totally depend on Him, his time of favour is here.