Great Prayers of the Old Testament
Part 23: Great Reasons to Pray to the LORD
Psalm 46:1-11
Sermon by Rick Crandall
(Prepared May 1, 2025)
BACKGROUND:
*Anyone who has read a good portion of God's Word knows that there are a lot of prayers provided for us in the Bible. The Dake Annotated Reference Bible lists 222 different prayers in the Bible: 176 prayers in the Old Testament, and 46 prayers in the New Testament. (1)
*God surely put a whole lot of prayers in His Holy Word, and there are some excellent reasons why. First, God is showing us that He wants us to pray. The LORD is also showing us that prayer is important, that prayer is powerful, and that He wants to answer our sincere, unselfish prayers. But here in Psalm 46, God gives us more great reasons why we should pray to the LORD.
*John Phillips explained the background by writing, "The dreaded Assyrian army had come marching out of the north, pushing southward through Syria into Israel and on south to Judah.
-Before the Assyrians got there, the fields were green, or golden with grain; behind the army, the fields were bare, swept clean by foraging troops or wantonly burned to the ground. Before the great cities of Syria and Israel and the outposts of Judah stood, strong, securely attached to the rocks beneath. Behind the Assyrian army were smoke-blackened ruins, strewn with the bodies of the dead people, and inhabited by the birds that fed themselves on dead bodies.
-The Assyrians had marched on to Jerusalem and drew up in a battle formation before the city's towering fortifications. Hezekiah first sought appeasement by paying an enormous tribute to buy the invader off. Then Sennacherib had second thoughts. How could he afford to leave behind a formidable fortress like Jerusalem unguarded by Assyrian troops, as Sennacherib marched on to further conquests? How could he afford to leave behind a leader of such strong loyalty to God and country as King Hezekiah?
-Sennacherib decided that he could not take that risk, and sent Rabshakeh with a demand that King Hezekiah open the gates of Jerusalem and submit to the Assyrian army. Encouraged by the inspiring messages of Isaiah the prophet, King Hezekiah refused to comply with the demand. Then Rabshakeh mocked and taunted King Hezekiah and the Jews, as the Assyrian army surrounded Jerusalem.
-But God sent down an angel to deal with the enemy army. One angel! One night! And the mighty army was no more! It perished where it stood, and Jerusalem was saved. According to biblical accounts, that one angel killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers as they besieged Jerusalem. This event is described in passages such as 2 Kings 19, Isaiah 37, and 2 Chronicles 32.
-The jubilant city rang with hymns of thanksgiving and praise. To commemorate the victory this hymn of praise was written, perhaps by Hezekiah, perhaps by Isaiah, perhaps by an unknown poet of Judah. But there is little doubt it was written to immortalize the triumph of the angel of the living God over the mighty enemy army.
-So great and glorious was the victory and so marvelous the deliverance that Jew and Christian alike have turned instinctively to Psalm 46 whenever disaster strikes and it seems that all hope is lost. For this Psalm assures us that God can handle, in His will, in His own good time and way, the things which seem like total disasters to us." (2)
*That's the background, so let's read Psalm 46:1-11.
1. God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.
2. Therefore we will not fear, Though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
3. Though its waters roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah
4. There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High.
5. God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.
6. The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved; He uttered His voice, the earth melted.
7. The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah
8. Come, behold the works of the Lord, Who has made desolations in the earth.
9. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariot in the fire.
10. Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!
11. The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah
MESSAGE:
*Do you ever need help in life? I need help all the time. If my computer goes down, I need help. If my temperature goes up, I need help. If my power goes out, I need help. Thank God, there are people around us who are able to give us the help we need! They are all gifts from God. But the greatest help we can ever get comes from God Himself!
*Our God is strong enough to keep the whole universe in control, and strong enough to help us in every trouble we will face. Christians, in vs 1, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." And He wants to help us!
1. SO FIRST: WE SHOULD RELY ON HIS HELP.
[1] WE SHOULD RELY ON HIS HELP IN VS. 1, BECAUSE GOD IS OUR SHELTER.
*That's the meaning of "refuge" in vs. 1, and God IS our refuge. He will be our shelter in every storm of life. (3)
*Some of us here today are old enough to remember the Cuban Missile Crisis. It happened in 1962. President Kennedy put a naval blockade around Cuba to keep Russian ships from bringing in more missiles, and to force them to remove the missiles already in place. There was a serious threat of us going to all-out war with the godless, Communist Soviet Union.
*I was a kid growing up in Florida during that time, and it was one of those things you always remember. Lots of people began to build bomb shelters during and after that crisis.
*A year later, we moved up to Macon, Georgia. And our next-door neighbors actually had a bomb shelter in their basement. They let me see it one time, and it was pretty cool, with a big old steel door. I don't think it would have done them much good though.
*Years later, I got to go to work on the huge Air Force Base about 30 miles away. Over 20 thousand people worked on that base, so it was a big target in the event of a horrific, devastating nuclear war. One day, a pilot friend told me that if a Russian submarine launched a nuclear missile at our base. We would get -- about a 30-second warning before it hit.
*You know, even if you had some kind of high-tech, super shelter a mile underground, in the long run, it wouldn't do you any good. But Christians: We have the shelter that will last forever! God is our refuge! And He will be our shelter in every storm of life.
[2] RELY ON HIS HELP, BECAUSE HE'S OUR SHELTER, AND BECAUSE HE'S OUR STRENGTH.
*Again in vs. 1, "God is our refuge and strength." King David relied on God's strength. In Psalm 19:14 David prayed, "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer."
*The Apostle Paul had to rely on God's strength. In 2 Corinthians 12:8-9 Paul had been praying for healing, and the Lord said to Paul, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." The longer we live, the more we learn how weak we really are. And we cannot rely on our own strength, but we can always rely on the strength of the LORD.
[3] RELY ON HIS HELP, BECAUSE GOD IS OUR STRENGTH. AND BECAUSE HE'S BY OUR SIDE.
*Christians: The LORD will always be by your side. In vs. 1 God is not only "our refuge and strength." He is also "a very present help in trouble."
*Anyone who has received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior can say, "God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble." That word "very" means God is present "exceedingly much in a mighty, forceful, abundant way." And the word "present" carries the idea of being able to find God, recognize Him, and meet with Him. It also has the idea that God's presence has been proved. (3)
*As Charles Spurgeon said, "God has been found when His people were in distress. "He has been tried and proved by his people. He never withdraws himself from his afflicted people. He IS their help, -- truly, effectively, and constantly." (4)
*God is "a very present help in trouble." And here the LORD is reminding us that He wants to have a close relationship with us. We all have a comfort zone around us. You are comfortable with me up here, or five feet away, or even two feet away. But if I get too close, you will get uncomfortable real fast. You see, we are only comfortable getting close to someone's face, when we know them very well. So this truth that God is "a very present help in trouble" certainly means that the LORD wants to have a very close relationship with us.
*Sandra Carr told about rocking her son, Boyd, when he was 4 years old. Boyd was facing his mom as they rocked, sitting on his knees. Suddenly, he lifted his small head, stared straight at his mother and got very still. Then he cupped her face in his hands and said, "Mommy, I'm in your eyes!" He had seen his own reflection in his mother's eyes, and this amazed him.
*In the days that followed, Boyd checked to see if his discovery was lasting. "Am I still in your eyes, mommy?" he would ask as he reached up for her. That's how close all good parents want to be to their children. And that's how close God wants us to be to Him. (5)
*We know this is true because of a wonderful Old Testament phrase: "The apple of God's eye." The word picture is just what little Boyd found in his mother's eye: For us to be so close to God, that we can look in His eyes and see our reflection. (6)
*Deuteronomy 32:9-10 says, "The LORD's portion is His people; Jacob is the place of His inheritance. He found him in a desert land and in the wasteland, a howling wilderness; He encircled him, He instructed him, He kept him as the apple of His eye." In Psalm 17:8 King David prayed these words, "Keep me as the apple of Your eye; Hide me under the shadow of Your wings." Christians: That's how close God wants us to be to Him! And we can be because when we received Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior we were born again by His Holy Spirit. And now God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit literally dwell in our spiritual hearts!
*Let me ask you something, Christian: Have you ever felt like you were too close to the Lord? Have you ever thought, "You know, I've been a little too close to Jesus lately?" No! -- And you never will.
*God really is "a very present help in trouble." Rodney Johnson explained, "God is present in the worst moments of life. Man can ignore God, but no one can avoid Him. Everywhere we go, we will run into Him. A local God could not be God. Everything is immediately in His presence. Nothing and no one is beyond His All-Seeing eye. We cannot flee from the presence of God, and no sparrow can fall beyond His view.
*God is here right now. He was here at this church before we arrived. And no matter what we may face in the future, God will be at our side. All of our fears are lessoned when we consider that in every case, God is with us. Diseases can quarantine us from people, but nothing can keep our God from us!" (7)
[4] RELY ON HIS HELP, BECAUSE GOD WILL BE BY OUR SIDE. AND BECAUSE HE WILL BE OUR SECURITY.
*In vs. 1-3:
1. God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.
2. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
3. Though its waters roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with its swelling.
*Now, we are blessed as a nation. There's no doubt about that. But we live in fearful times with many uncertainties. There are radical Muslims, who would destroy us today if they could. And Communist China certainly wants to increase its godless influence around the world. Not to mention the pile of personal problems and discouraging situations people have to cope with these days.
*A 1990 survey reported that 70 percent of Americans had strong hope about the future. But after 9-11, that number dropped to only 20 percent. Many people are fearful about the future. But Church: God is our security! And we can say, "We will not fear, though the earth be removed, and the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though its waters roar and be troubled." (8)
*Catherine Booth was the wife of William Booth. He was a British Methodist preacher, and together they founded the Salvation Army. Catherine knew about troubled waters, but she found her security in Jesus Christ. Once Catherine Booth said, "The waters are rising, but so am I. -- I am not going under, but over." (9)
*The Lord stood by Catherine Booth, and He will stand by us too! He will be our shelter, our strength, and our security, IF WE WILL RELY ON HIS HELP.
2. GOD WANTS US TO RELY ON HIS HELP. BUT CHURCH, HE ALSO WANTS US TO REJOICE IN HIS HELP.
[1] REJOICE IN THE LORD TODAY, BECAUSE HE IS OUR SUPPLY.
*Verse 4 talks about a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God. *What is this river that makes us rejoice? Charles Spurgeon said the river is God Himself. He is our supply! That makes sense because Isaiah gives a prophecy about Jerusalem during the Lord's future thousand-year reign on earth. And Isaiah 33:21 says, "There the glorious LORD will be unto us a place of broad rivers and streams." (4)
*Our God is like rivers of living water that never will run dry. Jesus made this truth clear when He was sitting by a well in John Chapter 4. And there Jesus said:
13. . . "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again,
14. but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."
*Then in John 7:37-39, Jesus cried out saying:
37. . . "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.
38. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."
39. But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
*God is like rivers of living water that never will run dry.
[2] CHRISTIANS, REJOICE BECAUSE THE LORD IS OUR SUPPLY. -- AND REJOICE BECAUSE HIS HELP IS SURE.
*We see this truth in vs. 4-5 where the Word of God says,
4. There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High.
5. God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.
*I love those three sure statements in vs. 5: "God is in the midst of her." She shall not be moved." And "God shall help her, just at the break of dawn."
[3] REJOICE CHRISTIANS, BECAUSE THE LORD'S HELP IS SURE! -- AND REJOICE BECAUSE THE LORD IS SUPREME.
*There is a great picture of God's supremacy in vs. 6. "The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved; He uttered His voice, the earth melted." One word from God, and the earth will melt! Thank God that a new Heaven and a new earth are coming in Revelation 21!
*But our God is supreme! This truth led Rodney Buchanan to say, "The reason I am an optimist is because I serve a God who is in control. I often think about the early church and the culture in which it not only survived, but thrived. Most early Christians lived within the bounds of the Roman Empire where there were persecutions. It was literally a national sport to throw the Christians to the lions as cheering crowds watched them be torn apart. The Roman roads were often lined with crosses on which Christians hung because they would not denounce Christ. Not only was abortion acceptable, a father could kill his child at any age. The government was completely hostile toward Christianity and anyone who was a follower of Christ.
*And yet it was during this time of enormous opposition that the church grew from just 120 believers to untold thousands. God is unstoppable. It doesn't matter how much opposition there is. God is in control, and He will have his way! God is in control no matter how things look. That does not necessarily mean that our nation will always be prosperous or safe. But it does mean that there is a God who is control of history, and he will have the final word. This is our hope and confidence." (10)
*Again in vs. 6, "The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved; He uttered His voice, the earth melted." It's as if the LORD God of hosts, our Lord Jesus Christ is saying, "Go ahead and rebel, and see if it makes any difference. You are pursuing madness. You are hitting your head against a brick wall. And you will end up only destroying yourself." The LORD is supreme no matter how things look!
[3] SO REJOICE CHURCH, BECAUSE OUR GOD IS SUPREME. AND REJOICE BECAUSE HE'S OUR SAVIOR.
*We see God saving His city in vs. 5, the city of Jerusalem: "God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn."
*God will save His city, and He will save you! If you will receive God's Son Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, He will save you from your sins. We know this because the Bible tells us that Jesus Christ suffered and died on the cross for our sins. Jesus took the death penalty for our sins. Then three days later, Jesus rose again from the dead to give eternal life to anyone who will trust in Him.
3. GOD WANTS US TO REJOICE IN HIS HELP. BUT GOD ALSO WANTS US TO RECOMMEND HIS HELP TO OTHER PEOPLE.
*In vs. 8-9 the Psalmist cries out for other people to see what the Lord is going to do:
8. Come, behold the works of the Lord, who has made desolations in the earth.
9. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariot in the fire.
*One day the Lord is going to bring great desolation and destruction on the earth. But the Lord always does all things well. He is going to destroy the evil, so that the good may flourish. The LORD God will make war, but only so that He can bring everlasting peace.
*These verses are looking at things that haven't happened yet. AND GOD WANTS US TO HELP OTHER PEOPLE TAKE A LOOK INTO THE FUTURE. God wants us to help people see the end of the story. He wants us to warn them about the coming judgment. He wants us to help them find a life worth living. He wants us to share the hope of Heaven.
*That's what Operation Christmas Child is all about, and later today, we will dedicate our shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child. In the summer of 1993, Samaritan's Purse President Franklin Graham received a call from a man in England asking if he'd be willing to fill shoeboxes with gifts for children in Eastern Europe. Franklin agreed, but figured Christmas was months away.
*And Franklin actually forgot about the promise until he got another call around Thanksgiving asking about the gifts. Franklin asked his friend, the late Pastor Ross Rhoads of Calvary Church in Charlotte to see if he could help with the need. Shortly afterward, Pastor Rhoads demonstrated for his congregation how to fill a shoebox with simple gifts and encouraged them to include a letter to the child as well. Within weeks, the church had 11,000 shoeboxes lining their hallways.
*Due to their generosity and additional gifts from Canada, Samaritan's Purse sent 28,000 shoebox gifts to children in the Balkans that Christmas. Through these gifts, they communicated to children and their families what the angel said to the shepherds about Jesus' birth: "I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people" (Luke 2:10, ESV).
*Every year since, Samaritan's Purse has collected shoebox gifts filled with toys, school supplies, and hygiene items for children around the world. Since 1993, more than 232 million children in more than 170 countries and territories have received an Operation Christmas Child shoebox. The project delivers not only the joy of what, for many kids, is their first gift ever, but also gives them a practical expression of God's love. Tens of thousands of volunteers from local churches around the world partner with them to present the Gospel of Jesus Christ at festive outreach events where children are surprised with these shoebox gifts. (11)
*That's just one great way to spread the Good News. And there are many more excellent ways! God wants us to grow in being good witnesses for Jesus Christ. So pray for the right attitude, the right opportunities and the right words. Invite people to church. Invite children to Sunday School, Orange, and Vacation Bible School. Share your testimony, not just the testimony of your salvation by Jesus Christ, but also your testimonies of the many ways God has blessed you. Tell them the Good News, and never give up.
*Wray Ivey was one of my teachers and mentors when we lived in Macon. He was our pastor at First Baptist Church in Macon, and a great guy. One Tuesday night Wray and I were out visiting, and I was discouraged about our lack of results. There are so many lost people out there, and we were reaching so few. It almost seemed like "What's the use?"
*But Wray said, "Suppose you were standing next to the ocean, and you saw thousands of people drowning, and you had a life ring in your hand. What would you do? Would you give up and say, 'What's the use?' -- Or would you try to save as many of them as you possibly could?"
*We must try to reach as many people as we possibly can! God's not through saving people yet! As Jesus said to His disciples, "The fields are still white unto harvest!" Or, in light of John 4:1-41, we might paraphrase it, "Evangelism is one thirsty person telling another thirsty person where to find water." It is not usually brow-beating people over the head with the Gospel. EVANGELISM IS MOSTLY ONE PERSON SHOWING BY HIS OR HER LIFE WHAT THE LORD CAN DO IN TERMS OF JESUS CHRIST GIVING THEM A NEW LIFE! This is how a five times divorced woman from Samaria became the first Christian evangelist. She had a rather checkered past, but Jesus did not seem to be as much concerned about her past as her future. (12)
4. AND THE LORD WANTS US TO RECOMMEND HIS HELP TO EVERYONE WE POSSIBLY CAN! BUT CHURCH, GOD ALSO WANTS US TO REST IN HIS HELP.
*The LORD God Himself calls us to this rest in vs. 10, where He says, "Be still, and know that I am God. . ." "Be still," God says. This original word means "to sink down, relax, let something drop, be quiet." (3)
*William McDonald explained, "The voice of God rings out everywhere on earth in accents of assurance and supremacy: 'Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!' Every fear is stilled. Every anxiety quieted. His people can relax. He is God! His cause is victorious. He is supreme among the nations, supreme over all the earth." "Be still, and know that I am God." (13)
*Also remember that in Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus said, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."
*Jesus calls people to come to Him. "Come to Me!" Jesus said. Church, that was not some ho-hum, laid-back request. It was a passionate plea from Jesus to come to the only one who can save us, the only one who can give us ultimate rest forever! Jesus wants us to come to Him. That's why God even gave us an invitation in the last chapter of the Bible. Revelation 22:17 tells us that "The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!'' And let him who hears say, "Come!'' And let him who thirsts come. And whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely."
*God calls out for all people to come to Jesus Christ. And we know this because 1 Timothy 2:3-6 tells us that God our Savior "desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time." Through His Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ is here right now, calling out for you to come to Him. I promise you that Jesus is here.
*Robert Beringer told the story of Mark and Susan Thomas. Years ago, they were transferred to the Middle East by Mobil Oil. Mark and Susan were excited about experiencing a new culture, but also worried about religious restrictions in their new country. On Easter Sunday morning, Mark and Susan held a worship service in their home, and invited some other Christians. As they worshiped, two police officers burst in and warned them to stop holding services or risk getting kicked out of the country.
*But when the officers later wrote their reports, they couldn't agree on the number of people in the Thomas' home. The younger policeman counted one extra person. He insisted that there had been a man "with a radiant look on his face" standing in the corner. That night the young officer dreamed that this man appeared to him again and said, "Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am right there in the middle of them." (14)
*You probably won't see Him, but through His Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ is here! He is reaching out to you today, and He says, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." The Savior wants to give you rest: Spiritual rest, emotional rest, eternal rest, every kind of rest you will ever need. But we must come to Jesus Christ. That's how to respond to the Lord's invitation.
*Church: Another transforming Scripture is Isaiah 26:3. There the prophet said this to the LORD: "You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You."
*During World War II, Christian author Corrie ten Boom and her family were arrested by the Nazis for protecting Jews. Corrie and her sister were sent to the Ravensbrück prison camp north of Berlin. Between 1939 and 1945, over 130,000 female prisoners were sent to Ravensbrück. Only 40,000 survived.
*Corrie's sister Betsy died from starvation in that concentration camp. But Corrie miraculously survived when she was accidently released by a prison official. That happened just one week before the Nazis killed all of the other women Corrie's age. After the war, Corrie went everywhere she could, telling people about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And though she surely went through times of despair, Corrie must have been inspired by Isaiah 26:3, for she later said, "Keep looking up and kneeling down. Then you can see life from the position of the Lord's victory over your problems. He is willing to make you more than conquerors! Look around and be distressed. Look within and be depressed. Look at Jesus and be at rest." (15)
5. GOD WANTS US TO REST IN HIS HELP. -- AND REMEMBER TO PRAISE HIM FOR HIS HELP.
*Again in vs. 10, God says, "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!" The original word for "exalted" here means "to rise, rise up, to be high, to be set on high.", or in other words, to praise the LORD God Almighty. Somebody is going to praise the Lord! And Christians it ought to be us! On our worst days, nobody is more blessed than the people who have trusted in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior! Our sins are forgiven. We have an everlasting home in Heaven. For ten thousand more reasons, we can praise the Lord! And surely one of the best reasons is in vs. 11. These words are so important that the Psalmist tells us twice. In vs. 7 and in vs. 11, "The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge." (3)
CONCLUSION:
*"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." And Christians, He will surely help us! So let the Lord help you. Whatever you are going through in life, God wants to help you. And if you have never received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, please call on the Lord to save you today. This is the most important thing we can ever do in life. Jesus knows everything about our lives, both the good and the bad. But Jesus still loves us anyway! He is the only way to God's forgiveness and eternal life in Heaven, so please put your trust in our crucified and risen Savior. You can do that right now as we go back to God in prayer.
(1) DAKE ANNOTATED REFERENCE BIBLE - Dake Publishing - https://www.hopefaithprayer.com/prayernew/222-prayers-of-the-bible/
(2) Sources:
-Adapted from "Exploring the Psalms" by John Phillips, Kregal Publications, Grand Rapids - Psalm 46 - "A Mighty Fortress is Our God" - Downloaded to "Bible Study 6" from Olive Tree Bible Software, Inc.
-GotQuestions.org - "Who was Hezekiah in the Bible" - Who was Hezekiah in the Bible_ _ GotQuestions.org
(3) Sources:
-BROWN-DRIVER-BRIGGS' HEBREW DEFINITIONS - Published in 1906; public domain- Downloaded to e-Sword by Rick Meyers - Copyright 2021
-STRONG'S HEBREW AND GREEK DICTIONARIES - from Strong's Exhaustive Concordance by James Strong, S.T.D., LL.D. - Published in 1890; public domain. - Downloaded to e-Sword by Rick Meyers - Copyright 2021
(4) Charles H. Spurgeon, THE TREASURY OF DAVID Vol. 1, Psalms 1-57, (Zondervan 11th printing, 1979) - Downloaded to e-Sword by Rick Meyers - Copyright 2021
(5) Sandra Palmer Carr in "The Upper Room" - Source: Sermons.com sermon "The Appearance of Love" by King Duncan Matthew 22:34-46
(6) Adapted from SermonCentral Sermon "Step One - Our Relationship with God" by Eddie Snipes - Psalm 36:7-10 - Also see ISBE for good explanation of Apple of the Eye
(7) Adapted from SermonCentral sermon "God Is a Very Present Help in Trouble" by Rodney Johnson - Psalm 46:1
(8) Adapted from SermonCentral sermon "Why I Am an Optimist" by Rodney Buchanan - Psalm 46:1-7 - Nov 23, 2003
(9) "The waters are rising, but so am I. I am not going under, but over." - Catherine Booth - "William and Catherine Booth," Christian History - Found on Bible Illustrator for windows - Topic: Trouble - Subtopic: Index: 1952 - Date: 4/1998.1919 - Title: Staying Above the Water
(10) Adapted from online sermon "Why I Am an Optimist" by Rodney Buchanan - Psalm 46 1-7 - Nov 23, 2003
(11) Sources:
-Mission and History: https://www.samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/mission-and-history/
-Adapted from the 2005 Operation Christmas Child Report
(12) Sermons.com sermon "Jesus and the Divorced Evangelist" by Donald Strobe - John 4:27-38 - 2005
(13) Adapted from "Believer's Bible Commentary" by William McDonald - Edited by Arthur Farstad - Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Copyright 1995, 1992, 1990, 1989 - Psalm 46:10
(14) Source: "Dynamic Illustrations" January, February, March 2001 - Topic: "God"
(15) Sources:
-Wikipedia - "Ravensbrück concentration camp"
-SermonCentral.com sermon "The Anointed Servant" by P. A. Solomon - Isaiah 61:1-7
-www.geocities.com/trinitytoronto/sermons2005/Pentecost_8A_Jul10-05.htm
-www.hefirstlovedus.com/hefirstlovedus/Corrie_ten_Boom
