God Is A Present Help

GOD IS A PRESENT HELP

Ps. 46:1

INTRODUCTION

A. HUMOR: The Highest Power

1. One Sunday morning, Victor, a Sunday school class teacher said to his young pupils, "OK children. We've been learning this morning just how powerful were the Kings and Queens in Bible times.

2. But there is even a higher power than Kings and Queens. Who can tell me what that higher power is?"

3. An 8-year-old instantly raised his hand and shouted out, "It’s Aces, teacher! Aces are higher than Kings and Queens!"

4. That’s not really what we had in mind. God is over all powers – in heaven, Earth, and under the Earth.

B. TEXT

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Ps. 46:1 KJV

C. THESIS

1. This verse ends with the word “trouble.” The Hebrew word for trouble (tsarah) literally means a narrow or tight place where a person is unable to move. It’s also used to describe severe pressure. We all face situations beyond our control, but we don’t have to face them alone.

2. So we’re going to look at the troubles that come to Christians, how God is our Refuge & Strength, and see how He’s a present help in our time of need.

3. The title is, “God is a Present Help.”

I. CHRISTIANS ARE ESPECIALLY DESTINED FOR TROUBLES

The Apostle James (1:2-4) tells us to rejoice when we suffer troubles, because...

A. HEAVEN IS FOR THE PURIFIED

1. This world is the crucible/ proving ground for the genuineness of the Christian. Troubles cause our sinful natures to be weakened and help us rely more and more on God’s Spirit. This helps us be purified for heaven.

2. “Judgment must begin at the house of God” 1 Pet. 4:17. God will have a tried & tested people (Dan. 12:10).

B. SATAN WILL ATTEMPT TO STOP YOU

1. The devil attempts, by sufferings and disasters, to push all people into discouragement, to rob them of their confidence in God, or get them to give up their devotion/ duty to God.

2. But Remember: God turns the devil’s curses into God’s blessings, actually making them “work for us” 2 Cor. 4:17! Your troubles show that you’re a child of God! (1 Peter 4:14)

C. ARE ALLOWED FOR OUR GROWTH (3X)

1. TRIALS PROMOTE SELF-KNOWLEDGE. The person who stands on the deck of a sinking ship will learn, if he didn’t know it before, whether he’s a hero or a coward. Affliction shows us "all that is in our heart." Defects of our character surface.

2. IT DEVELOPS PATIENCE. Endurance is one of the chief graces. If we approach every fresh trial as a means to increase our strength in God, the devil will leave us alone; he won’t want us to keep getting stronger! Let’s convert every negative experience into a positive!

3. TRIALS CONTRIBUTE TO MORAL PERFECTION. Some Christian virtues can only be acquired by affliction. We don’t get them from a smooth and unruffled life. Even the Son of God was made "perfect through sufferings"(Heb. 2:10).

4. Sometimes troubles get so overwhelming that a retreat or shelter is necessary to get temporary relief or to regroup.

II. GOD IS OUR REFUGE & STRENGTH

A. GOD IS OUR REFUGE

1. A “refuge” is a place of shelter or protection, as from danger or hardship. It’s a place where you find help, relief, and comfort in times of trouble.

2. The Psalm writers describe God [#4268, Hebrew “machaceh”] as their “Refuge:”

a. Ps. 14:6 to the “poor...the Lord is his Refuge”

b. Ps. 62:6-7 “my strength & refuge is in God....God is a Refuge for us.”

c. Ps. 71:7 “But You are my strength & Refuge”

d. Ps. 91:2,9 “He is my refuge & fortress....the Lord, who is my Refuge.”

e. Ps. 94:22 “My God is the rock of my Refuge”

f. Ps. 142:5 “You are my Refuge & portion”

g. Isa. 25:4 “You have been a refuge for the POOR, a refuge for the NEEDY in their distress, a shelter from the STORM and a shade from the HEAT....”

3. I especially like Ps. 91:9, “If you say, ‘The Lord is my refuge,’ & you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent.” Here the Holy Spirit points out our need for personal faith and confession. We’re to declare to ourselves and others our dependence on the Lord for our help.

4. People often flee for relief in times of stress. Some go to psychiatrists, others to medications, or go on a vacation or to the gym and try to work it off. None of those will give lasting inner peace.

5. But David knew the best place to go – “In THE LORD I take refuge.” God offers the best plan – and it’s all free! You don’t have to have health insurance, or a membership, or travel to somewhere; God is wherever you are! He’s as close as the mention of His name!