1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
3 Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.
4 There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.
5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.
6 The heathen 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, what desolations he hath made in the earth.
9 He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire.
10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
11 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
Introduction
Psalm 46 is wonderfully placed between Psalm 45 and Psalm 47. In Psalm 45 God is revealed to us as being the Great King. In Psalm 47, God is revealed to us as being the all powerful, most high God who will sub due all of the nations. Today, we will be exploring the truths found in Psalm 46 which reveal to us who God is.
Please remember as we look at this Psalm, this was for Israel. This Psalm is probably relevant to a time when other nations were gathering against them to make war with them. This was a time of trouble for Israel.
I. God Is Our Strength
Verse one declares that God is our place of shelter and of strength. His strength which is granted to us is a help in the time of trouble. A help that is always present when we need it.
May I suggest to you today that we are living in a time of trouble in the Church. The enemy (the devil, Satan) is coming against the Church in full force. Today, the church must deal with problems like never before. Here in America, several years ago, we allowed one woman and her son to be successful is having prayer and the Bible banned from our schools. Since that time, we have witnessed an explosion of divorce, teen pregnancies outside of wedlock, increased drug and alcohol abuse and many other things which are destroying the Church. The enemy knows that if he can get our minds off of spiritual things, he can then be successful in devouring us like a roaring lion. Thank God that in the time of trouble, there is a God that we serve who is our strength and a help which is always present!
God is the God of strength! He is able to speak into existence a whole universe by the power of His word. He is able to watch over this universe for the purpose of sustaining it all at the same time! That is the God who is strong. Israel understood that in the time of trouble, if He was their strength, they had no reason to fear (verse 2)! We are living in a day when the enemy has paralyzed many people in the Church by fear! We fear because of such things as road rage, school shootings, riots, protest, and the like. The Church has been paralyzed by fear because of such groups as the ACLU. Their initials represent the "American Civil Liberties Union". I think that they would be better named the "Anti-Christian Litigation Union." It seems that every case we here of concerning the ACLU is involved in coming against the Church and Christians.
May I remind you that if we are to serve the living God, we must live in faith not in fear. Fear will paralyze you. Faith will mobilize you into action! The much needed reminder from this Psalm is that we do not need to and must not live in fear.
Verses two and three remind us that no matter how drastic the day of trouble may be, there is still no reason to fear. All can come crashing down around you. but if you serve the Living God who is all powerful, you need not to fear. "If God be for us, who can be against us (Romans 8:31)?"
II. God Is Our Security
The good news is that in the midst of everything crashing down during the time of trouble, there is a river! As long as there was water present there was a source of life. This river which is spoken could be representative of God’s grace. It is by God’s grace that we live everyday and have life in us. This river could be representative of God’s word. His word is eternal. It contains the truth needed to live this life to it’s fullest. Therefore, God’s word is literally a source of life. Where there is a source of life such as a river, there is a security. The security of knowing that the water of that river could be used to sustain them.
With the river which represents a source of life, there is the wonderful promise of verse five. God is in the midst! How much more secure can a person be, than to know that the God of this universe is in their midst! That is a reason for security.
III. God Is Our Shelter
Three times in this Psalm, the Psalmist reminds us that God is our refuge. A refuge is a place of shelter during the time of trouble and storms. A few weeks ago, I was on my way home from work and heard the weather forecast which was predicting high winds. Tornado watches were in effect. When I arrived home, I mentioned to my wife what I had heard concerning the weather forecast. The first words out of her mouth were "Where are we going to go?" You see, living in a trailer, the thought of a storm and high winds becomes a scary thought.
The next night, we were out taking a walk and we began to talk to our neighbor. I mentioned to him of the damage his trailer had encountered as a result of the storm the night before. In the midst of our conversation our neighbor said, "You know, if the storms ever become too bad you can go up to May’s house." Frances immediately responded, "Oh that God!" You see, in the time of trouble or a storm, May’s house becomes a refuge to those of us who live in the trailer court.
The wonderful news is that in the time of trouble, God is our refuge. There is no other place or person that I would rather be protected by than the God of this universe!
Please note that in verse ten, there is a call for each of us personally. "Be still." In a society that is so busy, it is hard to be still. Our day planners are so filled with appointments that we do not get half of the work done that we need to get done because of all of our running. Running everywhere and going nowhere! The challenge to us today is that we would take time to personally sit down or stand still before our God.
The call does not stop with being still. We are called to be still for the purpose of knowing that He is God! When was the last time that you could say beyond a shadow of a doubt that you knew He is God?
When we take time to be still and meditate upon Him, we will realize that he truly is our strength, our security, and our shelter in the time of trouble! The challenge to you today is that you would no longer rely upon your own effort during the time of trouble in your life. But, rather, that you would allow God to become your strength, your security, and your shelter in the time of trouble.
