Intro:
I want to speak with you this morning from Psalm 46. That passage offers to us both consolation and instruction for times like these. We should always be looking to the word of God for wisdom in our lives.
In prosperous, easy times we need wisdom to not presume upon God’s goodness and provision. That was a mistake Israel made over and over. It is an easy mistake to make. One antidote to that mistake is thanksgiving. It is a good thing to give thanks to the Lord!i It is a good reminder of the source of all that we are enjoying. James says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” (1:17).ii Have some things gone right in your life? Give God the glory for that. Have you recently experienced some success? That’s only possible by His grace. Take time to thank the Lord for it. It’s not that God needs the affirmation. It’s because we need to keep the right orientation during those good times.
But our text today focuses on times of crisis. Especially then we should be digging into the word of God for His counsel. I appreciate the practical instruction that comes from various experts. We are being inundated through the media with their advice. A wise person will listen and weigh counsel. We need counsel from the medical field. We want counsel from the financial advisers. In the multitude of counselors there is safety (Prov. 24:6).
I also appreciate the insights coming from the prophets. That is a valid gift in the church. Remember Peter’s words on the Day of Pentecost: "And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams. 18 And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy” (Acts 2:17-18).
We are not to despise prophesying. However, prophesy has to be judged. iii Even when people are hearing the Lord, it is easy for them to inject some of their own thinking in the interpretation of their experience. Do not put all your confidence in prophecies that come through mortal men. Hear what the prophets say. Take it seriously. But test it in your own spirit and with the word of God. “We have a more sure word of prophecy” in Scripture (2 Pet. 1:19). Make sure you tale heed to that. Psalm 12:6 addresses the reliability of Scripture when it says, “And the words of the LORD are flawless, like silver refined in a furnace of clay, purified seven times.” The Bible I hold in my hand has been tested and proven over hundreds of years. Let it be the foundation of your thinking. Let it be the standard you use to test the current words.
We all have a natural curiosity about the future. In His wisdom God does not tell us all about the future. But in His word, He gives us information about that which we need to know.iv From Scripture we know where this world is headed and how it will all end up. We are given a general framework of the future. More importantly we are given instruction on how we are to live our lives in the now: attitudes that we are to cultivate in our hearts; behaviors that are right, and behaviors that are wrong. God has given us everything we need to know to live lives pleasing to Him—to live lives that will end well v. In times like these we need to keep all that in perspective.
Today let’s look into Psalm 46 and draw courage from the assurances God gives us there. In this
message we will examine Declaration near the beginning of the text. Then next week we will
consider a Directive toward the end of the passage.
In verse 2 the Psalmist makes this DECLARATION: “Therefore we will not fear.”
Can you agree with that? Can you personalize it? “Therefore I will not be afraid”? “For God has
not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Tim 1:7). Fear
torments the mind.vi Fear is not the portion for God’s people. It is not the will of God that you be
tormented with fears. It is not the will of God that you dread the future. In God, your future is
bright. God’s thoughts toward you are good. His plans for you are good.vii We can trust Him with
our future.
We are told again and again in Scripture to not fear. People do dumb things when they are driven
by fear. The children of Israel lost their inheritance because of fear. That first generation out of
Egypt got their eyes off God and on the problems.viii Instead of believing the promises God had
given, they believed the negative report of the ten spies and did not go into the Promise Land.
Peter denied the Lord because of fear. Fear can rob people of rational thought. Fear can cause us
to flee when we ought to stand. Proverbs 28:1 makes this contrast: “The wicked flee when no one
pursues, But the righteous are bold as a lion.” We begin this morning by making this decision:
“Therefore we will not fear.”
Our text helps us understand why we can say that. Notice the word, “Therefore” in verse 2. We
must be clear about the reason for our confidence.
It is not because there will be no problems. We can be fearless even when there are serious
problems going on in our lives. Let’s read verse 2 carefully. “Therefore we will not fear, Even
though [let those word, even though, be a part of your vocabulary. It does not matter what
follows those two words, you can live above fear. Even though] the earth be removed, And
though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea.”
I think we can all agree: those problems would be serious. When the earth is being removed
from under your feet—you want to be standing on the word of God—you want to be standing on
the Rock of Ages. When the mountains are being carried into the sea—you want to know in
whom you have believed—you want to be trusting someone bigger than all that.ix Verse 3 adds
another condition: “Though its waters roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with its
swelling.” That is a picture of terrible upheaval and instability. What if the curve for the
coronavirus does not flatten? What if the economy becomes more unstable and goes into deep
recession? Is that cause for God’s people to panic? This Psalms uses dire circumstances to make
the point that you and I can rest in God no matter what happens.
The way some people try to find peace is to deny reality. Denial is not faith! I have dealt with
this problem many times during my years of pastoring. People are taught an incomplete
understanding of positive confession. We don’t have time to deal with that thoroughly this
morning. What I can tell you is that faith is strong enough to face the facts. Before Jesus went to
Bethany to pray for Lazarus, He forthrightly told His disciples, “Lazarus is dead.” He did not
deny that reality. He did not avoid confessing that reality. His faith could take the reality head on
without playing like it was not there. Faith is not a Pollyanna mindset that turns its eyes away
from negative circumstances. Caleb and Joshua did not deny the fact that there were giants and
fortifications in Canaan. Their faith was not based on an assumption there were no problems to
face. Instead it was based on God’s partnership with them and the promises He had made to
them.x Problems in this world do not get much bigger than the earth being removed, and the
mountains being carried into the sea. Those are not problems we can solve in our own wisdom
and strength.
Being a Christian does not exempt us from problems. The rain falls on the just and the unjust.xi
In Luke 6 Jesus gave the parable of two builders. One dug deep and laid a firm foundation for his
house. The other built his house on the sand. Jesus explained the parable by saying the one who
built his house on a rock (on a firm foundation) was the person who hears Jesus’s sayings a does
them. He is not only a hearer of the word, but he lives in obedience to what Jesus taught. The one
who build on the sand (without a foundation) also heard the sayings. He went to church and even
read his Bible. However, he did not order his life accordingly. He heard but did not obey. The
storms of life came on both lives. Neither was trouble free. In reference to the one who built on
the rock, Jesus said, “And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house,
and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. [In contrast, Jesus continued in verse 49]
But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a
foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of
that house was great" (Luke 6:48-49).
I want to highlight two truths from that story. First the storm came into both lives. There are
some problems we can avoid by living in obedience to the Lord. Jonah would not have been
swallowed by the fish if he had simply obeyed what God told him to do. David’s sin opened the
door to some of the troubles in his family. “The way of transgressors is hard” (Prov. 13:15,
KJV). But there are a lot of difficulties that come simply because we live in a fallen world.
Romans 8:22 says, “For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs
together until now.” Then he adds in verse 23, “Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits
of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan. . . .” Both godly and ungodly people experience
difficulties in this fallen world.
Notice the preparation for the storms that Jesus suggested in that parable. It was living in
obedience to God! With the current COVID-19 crisis we have become aware of the need for
preparation. Had we been more prepared as a nation, perhaps the pandemic could have been
mitigated more. Individual family preparations like food and paper supplies have mattered. But
the one preparation that must not be overlooked is right relationship with God. Make that number
one in your prepper list. If everything else is on the list, but that is left off—you will be in
trouble. Your house will not stand, and great will be the ruin—"it will crumble into a heap of
ruins” (NLT).
Now let’s turn to the more positive contemplation of why we will not fear. We are given the
answer to that in Psalm 46:1. The verse begins with these two words: “God is.” We are not on
our own. He not only created this world, but He oversees all the affairs that go on in it. Some
people claim to be atheists. I suspect that is more of a empty boast than a reality. But who knows
what goes on in the secret chambers of their hearts? The more common problem is those who
recognize God in theory, but as a practical matter they live as if He is not there. They make
decisions without consulting Him. They ignore His commandments. They violate the boundaries
He sets on their behavior, with little regard for what He thinks about it. They simply decide what
they want and live life for those things. In reality, those are the idols of their lives.
When trouble comes, they are like the man who built his house on the sand. They have good
cause to fear because their personal kingdom is going to fall. It may be today; it may be
tomorrow; but it is a foregone conclusion. Those people cannot say, “Therefore, we will not
fear.” They should fear—they should fear enough to turn to God and stop living as if He doesn’t
exist.
Is your life being built on obedience to Christ? As believers we have reasonable cause to not
fear. God is our “refuge”—a shelter from the storm. Again, the passage does not say there will
be not storm. The passage reveals God as a shelter in the storm. If a tornado hits your area, it
may do some damage. But, if you’re in a shelter, it will not harm you. The important thing is to
get into the shelter. xii Proverbs 18:10: “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; The righteous
run to it and are safe.” The most important thing anyone can do in these times is to run into that
strong tower. Go to the Lord for your protection. That is the shelter-in-place order that really
counts.
Psalm 46:1 also says God is our “strength.” You don’t have to be strong to be safe. In fact, a
reliance on your own strength can be a problem. I get concerned when I hear leaders talk about
how WE will rebuild. That’s appropriate if from the heart their reliance is on the Lord and His
strength. But the one thing that disqualifies a person from God’s strength is pride in one’s own
strength.
King Saul did okay as long as he was little in his own eyes. But when he got lifted up in pride, he
stepped out of God’s grace into his eventual destruction. After his disobedience in 1 Samuel 15,
Samuel tried to reason with him. In that conversation Samuel said to him, “When you were little
in your own eyes, were you not head of the tribes of Israel? And did not the Lord anoint you king
over Israel?” Saul’s downfall was in the pride that developed in his heart.
When Israel was hit by judgement from God, it was an opportunity for them to humble
themselves and turn to God for His help. Instead they responded in pride. Here is what God said
to them in Isaiah 9:8-13.
“The Lord sent a word against Jacob, And it has fallen on Israel. 9 All the people will
know — Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria — Who say in pride and arrogance of
heart: 10 'The bricks have fallen down, But we will rebuild with hewn stones; The
sycamores are cut down, But we will replace them with cedars.’ [That is essentially what
our leaders in America said after 911].
Verse 11: “Therefore the Lord shall set up The adversaries of Rezin against him, And
spur his enemies on, 12 The Syrians before and the Philistines behind; And they shall
devour Israel with an open mouth. For all this His anger is not turned away, But His
hand is stretched out still. [Since the first judgment did not humble them—did not turn
them to God—God sent multiple problems for them to deal with—in front and behind
(The Syrians before and the Philistines behind).xiii In that judgement, God was not
wanting them to find their own solutions. He was wanting them to turn to Him for
answers. He was wanting them to see Him as their strength.]
Verse 13 For the people do not turn to Him who strikes them, Nor do they seek the Lord
of hosts.” That verse states the problem clearly. In all their troubles they simply would
not (from the heart) turn to the Lord. They may have said a few token things about God
helping them. But God is always looking on the heart. They did everything they could to
solve the problem—except the one thing required. Listen carefully as I read Isaiah 9:13
again: “For the people do not turn to Him who strikes them, [who strikes them?xiv At one
level it was it was Assyria. The devil may have been inspiring those Assyrians. But at a
more profound level it was God trying to get their attention—calling them to Himself.]
Nor do they seek the Lord of hosts.”
There was only one lasting solution for their crisis, and they simply would not do that. When
trouble comes into our lives may we do the one thing God requires above all else. When trouble
comes to our nation, may we do that above all else. If we won’t do it, there will be more trouble
around the corner. For Israel God just kept escalating the calamity as a call to repentance. It was
only after their complete fall and captivity that Israel as a whole sought the Lord. Jeremiah
29:13: “And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. 14 I will
be found by you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back from your captivity.”
The comfort we have in Psalm 46 is that when we make the Lord our strength, we can be bold as
a lion. We can face adversity with the same confidence David had when he faced Goliath.
“Therefore, we will not fear.”
A third source of our assurance is also stated in Psalm 46:1. “God is our refuge and strength, A
very present help in trouble.” God is always with His people. He has promised to never leave us,
nor forsake us (Heb. 13:5). But He is with us in a special way during times of trouble. Remember
how He was with the three Hebrew children when they were thrown in the fiery furnace?
Remember how He was with Daniel in the lion’s den, shutting the lions’ mouths? He was with
Paul and Silas when they were beaten and thrown into prison. The end of that matter was better
than the beginning. That’s the way it is when God walks through the trouble with us.
Isaiah 43 provides the same kind of assurance that our text in Psalm 46 gives. “But now, thus
says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel [these are two
names for God’s people. Jacob means supplanter or heel grabber (That’s what we are in the
natural. Israel means prince or God prevails). God knows what we are in the natural, but He also
knows who we are in Him.]: ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your
name; You are Mine. 2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the
rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor
shall the flame scorch you. 3 For I am the Lord your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior .”
Do you belong to the Lord? Is He your Savior? Are you looking to Him for your protection?
Then do not fear; He is with you and will take care of you!
We have considered the DECLARATION in Psalm 46:2: “Therefore we will not fear.”
Next week we will focus on the DIRECTIVE given in Psalm 46:10: “Be still, and know that I am
God.” Freedom from fear enables us to do that. Confidence in the Lord is our foundation for riding out
any storm.
This morning we come to the Lord’s table together. We come with much assurance that God is
watching over us with infinite love. Paul reminded the Christians at Rome: “He who did not spare
His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all
things?” (Rom. 8:32). We come remembering the protection the children of Israel experienced with
the blood of the Passover lamb on their doorposts. We come knowing the blood of Christ provides all
the assurance we need in any situation.
For anyone not living under that protection, the invitation from God Himself is “whoever believes in
Him” will not perish. You’re included in that word “whoever.” You’re invited to come to God
through Jesus Christ. Ask Christ to come into your life as your Savior and Lord. Surrender your life
to him and put your trust in the salvation he offers.
END NOTES:
i Ps. 92:1; Ps 103:2: “ Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits.”
ii All Scripture quotes are from the New King James Version unless indicated otherwise.
iii 1 Thess. 5:20-21; 1 Cor. 14:1, 29.
iv Deut. 29:29.
v 2 Pet. 1:3.
vi 1 John 4:18.
vii Jer. 29:11.
viii Num. 13:33.
ix 2 Tim. 1:12.
x Num. 14:8-9. The unfortunate KJV of Rom. 4:19 can be misleading. This is corrected in the NIV: “Without
weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead. . . .”
xi Matt. 5:45.
xii Ps 34:17: “The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, And delivers them out of all their troubles.”
xiii See Amos 5:19.
xiv Deut. 32:39: “Now see that I, even I, am He, And there is no God besides Me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and
I heal; Nor is there any who can deliver from My hand.”
