When the Ground Gives Way

Good morning, church. Psalm 46 starts with this:

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear though the earth give way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam.”

I don’t know about you, but when life starts shaking, when things I thought were solid start to crumble, my first instinct is often to grab control. Fix it. Hold it together like Spiderman with the train barreling off the track. Importantly, this psalm doesn’t say the ground won’t give way. It says even when it does, even if the mountains of our supposed success crumble into the sea or the waters of suffering roar, we don’t have to fear. Why? Because our refuge isn’t the ground or the house we try to build ourselves. It’s God Himself.

He doesn’t promise to stop every storm or patch every crack. He promises to be present, right there in the middle of it, giving strength to keep going. He’s not pacing, not panicked, not surprised. He’s steady and strong.   

Some of us walked in this morning carrying anxiety, fear, exhaustion, trying to hold things together on our own. The invitation of this psalm is simple: let go. Be still. The gospel invites us to lay down our burdens, not be crushed by them; to let God be God. The same Jesus who calmed the sea can calm our hearts.

So as we come to confession, let’s admit the ways we’ve tried to be our own refuge. Let’s trust in the One who cannot be moved.

Let’s pray.

Prayer of Confession

Father, we confess that when life shakes, our reflex is to grab control. We try to fix it, to hold it together, to build our own little fortresses of safety.

We confess how quickly we trust our plans more than your presence, our effort more than your grace. You have said, “Be still, and know that I am God,” but we have been restless and afraid. We’ve tried to be our own refuge instead of resting in You.

So this morning, we bring our fear, our striving, and our unbelief into the light. Forgive us, Lord, for the ways we’ve tried to stand on ground that cannot hold. We confess these sins to You now in the quiet of this moment…