God is Our Refuge
I. The World is in Turmoil
II. God is in Control
III. Our Hearts Can be at Peace
It seems that every time these day that we turn on the news, we see tragedy. Florida has been pounded by two hurricanes in as little as three weeks and there is the possibility that yet another one is heading for our shores. Out west wildfires are burning thousands of acres of land. In Russia terrorists are holding children as hostages. And in all of these events there has been senseless loss of life.
But what about the tragic events in our own back yards. Unusually cold summer putting the crops behind schedule. More rain than we would have liked and so the cost of drying the crops will be costly. An early frost, severe weather, damaging winds that have destroyed the crops and all of these things happening just weeks apart.
All these images whether they are in Russia or Florida, or if they are in Minnesota, are still fresh in our minds, and they bring with them a sick feeling in our stomachs. This morning Brother & Sisters no matter what is going on in the world or our own back yards, God has a simple message for us during these turbulent times. God, in his Holy Word, reminds us of something we can hang onto when tragedy rears its ugly head. Here in the verses of Psalm 46, speaking by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the Psalm writer declares for all to hear: God is Our Refuge. In these verses, the writer points out three key truths which are especially applicable for our lives.
The World is in Turmoil
God is in Control
Therefore, Our Hearts Can be at Peace
First, our world is in turmoil. In the opening verses in this psalm the writer draws a contrast between the stability which God offers us and the instability which characterizes the world around us. The psalmist writes, "God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea". Listen to those words again as you think of the people in Florida having to leave their homes and seek shelter elsewhere: "though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea." My friends, three weeks ago with hurricane Charlie and again last week with hurricane Francis, millions of people experienced exactly what that psalmist is referring to. The things that we stand on, the things that we trust in, are not completely stable. But God is. We can put all our weight on God. We can rely on God-because God says, "I the Lord your God do not change." (Malachi 3:6). God is still our solid foundation even when the physical world is caving in all around us.
That’s one kind of turmoil we face. The turmoil created by nature, earthquakes, hurricanes, and the like. But the Psalmist goes on to speak of a 2nd kind of turmoil in our world. He says, "Nations are in uproar" and "kingdoms fall." Here the psalmist is speaking about the turmoil that exists among nations. Even our nation is in turmoil as we fight the war against terrorism in Afghanistan and Iraq. There’s a lot of turmoil going on in many different nations of the world. Our country is remembering the 3rd anniversary of 9/11, still, it’s just one act of aggression among many, many wars going on around the world. The psalmist had it right. Nations are in an uproar.
But if you think about it, none of this should come as a surprise to us, should it? Jesus himself described the signs that would precede his second coming. Jesus told his disciples, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom…You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come." (Matt. 24:6,7)
Make no mistake about it. Until the day when Jesus returns in all his glory, there will continue to be animosity, aggression and atrocities of every kind, committed by man against man. All of which only further bears out three Biblical truths: #1: All mankind by nature is morally corrupt. #2. When human beings reject the true God and ignore their conscience that God has given them, they are capable of committing unthinkable crimes. #3 We are not in heaven yet. Life in this sinful world is not paradise, as some would have us believe. Rather, it is what Luther called it, "a vale of tears", a place where the Satan has a great deal of influence in people’s hearts and lives.
And yet, even though we can see Satan’s fingerprints on the world around us, the fact is, as the Psalmist so clearly states it: II. God is (still) in Control. Here in our text, the Psalmist refers to the control that God, for example, has over the destiny of nations. The psalmist writes, "Come and see the works of the Lord, the desolation he has brought to the earth. He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear." God, as Sovereign Lord, certainly has the ability to stop nations from waging wars. He can place insurmountable obstacles in the way of people to prevent them from carrying out their evil intent. Sometimes God does with people what he did with Satan in the Book of Job. He said to Satan, in effect, "I’ll let you do this but not this. You can take Job’s family, but you can’t touch his body. Or, you can take away his health, but not his life." In the pages of Scripture, we often get a "behind the scenes" look at how God miraculously protects his people from even greater harm, whether it was the pillar of fire in the wilderness keeping the Israelites from their enemies in the desert, or God protecting Daniel in the lion’s den, or God keeping Jonah safe in the belly of the fish.
Time and again, God uses his almighty power to defend his people from danger, guarding and protecting us from even greater evil. In fact, as we hear the stories all the time of people who just missed disaster. When you reflect on these things you realize that God is still defending and protecting his people from harm.
And yet, the question which still begs to be asked-and in fact, the question that undoubtedly has been asked a million times when disaster strikes, "If God is really in control of the world and if God can really keep evil away from us, then why did he allow this terrible tragedy to occur?
Perhaps the more appropriate way to explain why such things happen is to simply say, "I don’t know. I don’t understand." But then again, I don’t have to. God doesn’t demand that I understand all the how’s and why’s of life in an imperfect world. Instead of understanding everything, God grants to us the gift of faith. And faith allows us to say, "God I don’t get it. But I trust that you will handle it. You’ve already laid down the perfect track record for me. You proved your love for all nations by sending your son, to rescue us from the hell our sins deserve. On a personal level, you called me to faith and kept me in the faith. You cared for my life, just as you have cared for the birds of the air and the grass of the field. Since you have cared so well for me in the past, I trust that you will take care of me in the future. In fact, that’s the point the psalmist brings out in the final verses of this psalm. Yes, the world is in turmoil. But God is in control. Therefore, III. Our Hearts can be at Peace.
What does God say here in our text? "Be still and know that I am God." Wow! Is God speaking to our hearts today, or what? Be still. That is, don’t worry. God says, "I haven’t lost control of the world. I haven’t lost sight of you, or your needs, or your fears. I am still the Almighty Creator and Preserver of the universe. I promise that I will guard you and protect you. I will send my holy angels to surround you." What comfort we find in God’s almighty power. And yet, we find even greater comfort in God’s love. Love that sent Jesus to the cross in our place, love that assures us that all things work for the good of those who love God.
Who knows what good God will bring out of tragedy? Did God use the natural disaster of the last few weeks to transport some believers from this vale of tears to himself in heaven? Sure, he did. Might God use it as an opportunity to draw people closer to himself, to give us a chance to share the hope we have in Christ, to give us a reason to flood his throne with our prayers, and share our material wealth with those in need. Absolutely. And even if we can’t see all those good things in this life, we will be able to see them perfectly in heaven.
Until that time, however, you and I will probably continue to struggle with our questions and doubts, our fears in the aftermath of disaster. We still need protection from the evil around us and relief from the anxiety within us. Well, thank God that in him and his Word, we find a safe place from both hardships. How does the Psalmist put it? "God is our Refuge." You know what a refuge is, don’t you? A refuge is a place of safety where no harm can come to us. Our refuge is God and his Word. God promises that by grace, through faith in his Son, we are his people, the sheep of his pasture, the flock under his care. God has made us his own. And while God never said that he would exempt our lives from all trials and tribulations, he does promise that through those hardships, through those tears, yes, even through death itself, he will give us something to hang onto, something to lift us up, something to draw us closer to himself, in this life and the next. Oh, what the psalmist said of old is still true today: "God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble. The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress." To him be the glory and praise. Amen.
