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!
B. GOD IS ALSO OUR STRENGTH
1. The reality is – we humans are weak; we have a short lifespan (many animals live longer); we must breathe 12-20 times a minute or we die; we can only survive in a narrow temperature range; we usually can’t pick up over 150 pounds; we’re susceptible to all kinds of germs or viruses; we have to eat every day; many substances are poisonous to us & a million other things. We’re also weak emotionally and socially.
2. Paul described our weak state, “I came to you in weakness” 1 Cor. 2:3. But he told us that when we combine our weakness with dependence on God, He is pleased to impart His strength to us, “But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me” 2 Cor. 12:9. It’s an advantage!
3. “God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong” 1 Cor. 1:27. When we rely on God our “weakness [is] turned to strength” Heb. 11:34.
4. But we’re not to remain weak, in God. We’re exhorted to “be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power” Eph. 6:10 and “be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus,” 2 Tim. 2:1. Get strong “in spirit.”
5. That’s why Moses said, “The LORD is my strength and my defense” Ex. 15:2 after the Egyptian army was drowned. David shouted, “The LORD is my strength and my shield” Ps. 28:7 when he overcame his enemies. Isaiah said it (12:2) and Habakkuk (3:19). IS HE YOUR STRENGTH?
III. GOD IS A VERY PRESENT HELP
A. GOD IS PRESENT
1. When trouble strikes, God is present. In fact, He is always there with us, immediately available to help us when trouble arises. The abverb “very” (mehode) indicates that He is exceedingly or speedily present. Not even a second goes by when we have to face our troubles alone, or in our own strength.
2. He’s said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” “Though your father & mother forget you, I will never forget you!” Wow! God will not forget us or let us down. YOU CAN DEPEND ON GOD!
3. ILLUSTRATION: In an 1865 letter from General Sherman to Gen. U. S. Grant, he wrote, "I knew wherever I was that you thought of me, and if I got in a tight place you would come." Source unknown
B. GOD IS OUR HELPER
1. God is a Helper who’s “at hand,” one that never has to be sought for, but who’s always near. His help is always sufficient, providing abundantly for our needs. We couldn’t ask for a better helper or ever find one!
2. ILLUS. “God Was His Helper”
a. One time, missionary David Plymire was traveling alone on mountain trails, with a pack on his back, in Taiwan. He was headed toward a village to conduct a church service. For no special reason, he suddenly felt like he should stop to rest, even though he wasn’t particularly tired.
b. David stopped & removed his backpack. As he sat there resting, he heard the sound of falling rocks – just beyond where he was sitting. He waited until the echo of the sound died away, then he hoisted his pack and resumed his trip.
c. As he made his way around the mountain, he discovered a large stretch of trail now buried with fallen rocks. He realized that if he had not stopped to rest, he would’ve been killed by the avalanche. His unseen Helper had cared for him. David said, “In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety” Ps. 4:8.
3. Paul said, “If God be for us, who can be against us?” Who can take away our ultimate hope? No one! So it’s our duty to be fearless; "We will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea...” Ps. 46:2
4. God is dependable and trustworthy. Others may fail us but the Lord never will. In a world out of control there is one voice that rings clear, “I am in control! I am with you; be not afraid!”
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION
1. God has taken care of all your YESTERDAYS. Before we were ever born, Jesus was sent as the Lamb of God to take away our sins. He washes us white as snow. Our sins are remembered no more. You don’t have to let an old sin plague your mind, there is now no condemnation in our lives because of Jesus Christ. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us of all our unrighteousness. You can’t undo your yesterday, so don’t let your yesterday undo you. Of all the people ever to walk this life without sin, there’s still only one.
2. God has taken care of our Tomorrows. There may be some things that take us by surprise, but there’s nothing that will take Him by surprise. God has a plan for our lives. The steps of a good man or woman are ordered by the Lord! The weather channel often misses the actual weather by a mile, but God always gets it right!
3. God will take care of your Todays. “This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it.” Immanuel, God with us. Jesus, the same yesterday, today and forever. Today is special because it’s a day of opportunities. Today is the first day of the rest of your life.
B. THE CALL “I AM”
1. We only have this one flying moment, indicated by the ticking of your clock. It’s the only time we have to work with. We can do nothing with the days that are past nor the days future. The present moment is the only time we have, may have, or ever can have. Let’s seize the day for Jesus!
2. How many of you have some troubles going right now and need a refuge from the storm? Do you need deliverance from fear?
3. How many need God as your Helper tonight? Are you aware that God is always present with you?
4. Let’s go to prayer.
This message contains some quotes by Matthew Henry & Stephen Funderburk]
