Read Psalm 46

“God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1)

"God is..." There is great power when we come to terms with who “God is” — the two words which David begins this Psalm with. When we profess who God is according to His Word we discover deeper realities about life and our circumstances around us.

God is Wise. God is All Powerful. God is Love. These are outstanding truths that have transformative power, no doubt. But sometimes we need to step into these truths with more personal faith. David did not just say, "God is strong.” No — he made it personal. "God is our refuge and strength."

When we can transition the truths about God and apply them directly to our lives as David did, that is when we see the power of God on true display. God has revealed Himself to all of us, not so that we could memorize things about Him like a theological dictionary, but so that we could come to know Him directly. To capture God’s Truth personally is to catch fire!

We see this frequently all throughout David’s Psalms, which is probably what made him a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22). David’s relationship with God was rich because of it. We also see this in Paul the Apostle’s life. Notice what Paul does when writing to the Galatians —

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)

Look at how personal this was to Paul. He doesn't simply throw out generic New Testament doctrine. He latches onto it with all of his life! He's writing about Christ and himself. Paul even goes so far to say that Jesus, the Son of God, “loved me and gave himself or me." The great apostle was impacted by Christ’s love and sacrifice for him.

Dear Beloved, we must remember to apply truth personally and individually to our lives. Always take the extra step to personalize the Scriptures. God did not just manifest Himself to the world generically — God manifested Himself to you personally.

Is God your personal refuge? Is God your personal strength? Is He your very present help in time of need?

May God give us David’s heart to know Him as David did. And may we see Scripture in the light of personal application — to go beyond mere biblical knowledge to becoming possessed with it in God’s love.

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…” (Colossians 3:16)