Whether our source of hardship be from without or within, the Lord is a “refuge” to all those who seek shelter in him. God is not merely our hope of future deliverance from every kind of “trouble,” but he is also our source of “present help.” He presently helps his people by equipping and empowering them to bear any kind of trouble they may find. It is for this reason that “the righteous are as bold as lions” in the face of all uncertainty and disaster, knowing that God is sovereign over both good and evil. For as the prophet says, “Does disaster come to a city, unless the Lord has done it?” (Amos 3:6). Kingdoms, nations, and all the inhabitants of the earth will come and go. Even if the “earth [itself] gives way” by wars or natural desolations, we possess an unshakable refuge in our God.