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| Order Of Worship (Liturgy) O God, Our Help in Ages Past Be Still My Soul God Is Our Refuge and Our Strength A Mighty Fortress Is Our God |
“God Is Our Refuge and Our Strength”
Psalm 46:1-11
It was Solomon who pointed out “Since no man knows the future, who can tell him what is to come?” (Eccl. 8:7). While we don’t know the future, we do have, in the Bible as a whole – and in this 46th Psalm in particular – the promises of God to see us through whatever may come our way in each new year.
This Psalm has been of great comfort to God’s people in every era of time. It was especially a Psalm of comfort to Martin Luther. He lived in the turbulent time of the Reformation of the church, and as you may know, he had many death threats against him. At times of discouragement and fear, he would say to his friend, Philipp Melanchthon, “Let’s sing the forty-sixth Psalm.”
Luther wrote two musical renditions of this Psalm, “God Is Our Refuge and Our Strength,” and also the well-known hymn of the Reformation, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.” Luther found great comfort in all the troubles and trials of his life by knowing the truth of verse 1, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
The Psalm has given comfort and strength to believers in every era of time, including Elisabeth Eliott. Elisabeth was a widow, twice over. Her first husband, a missionary to Indians in Ecuador, was murdered by them as he brought them the gospel. Her second husband died a slow drawn-out death by cancer. Through those trials – a sudden shocking death of a murdered spouse and a long drawn out death of another spouse – Elisabeth Elliott found great comfort in this Psalm. She took to heart the truth that “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
The background of the Psalm, most commentators believe, is rooted in the historical context of the Assyrians’ attempt to destroy Jerusalem during the reign of King Hezekiah. The Assyrians, led by King Sennacherib, had surrounded Jerusalem. Sennacherib and his troops – over 185,000 of them – taunted the residents of Jerusalem. Isaiah 36:18-20 records how they called out, “Beware lest Hezekiah mislead you by saying, “The LORD will deliver us.” Has any of the gods of the nations delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria? Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Have they delivered Samaria out of my hand? Who among all the gods of these lands have delivered their lands out of my hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?’”
As you might imagine, Hezekiah, King of Judah, was greatly distressed over this threat. Isaiah 37:1 describes how “As soon as King Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes and covered himself with sackcloth and went into the house of the LORD.”
Hezekiah and the people of Judah prayed, “Truly, O LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations and their lands, and have cast their gods into the fire. For they were no gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. Therefore they were destroyed. So now, O LORD our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone are the LORD” (Isa. 37:18-20).
The Lord replied, “Because you have prayed to me concerning Sennacherib, king of Assyria… I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David” (Isa. 37:21, 35).
“And the angel of the LORD went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies. Then Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and returned home and lived at Nineveh. And as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, Adrammelech and Sharezer, his sons, struck him down with the sword. And after they escaped into the land of Ararat, Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place” (Isa. 37:36-38).
Most commentators believe that this incident is what the Sons of Korah are reflecting on in Psalm 46. What an amazing deliverance, what an answer to the prayers of Hezekiah and the people! No wonder the Psalm begins with this assurance: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” No wonder Psalm 46 has brought comfort and strength to a multitude of believers over the ages!
And it should be a comfort to us as we look ahead, in uncertain and troubled times, to a new year and a future yet to be revealed. After all, the Psalm reminds us that the Lord truly reigns, working His sovereign will as He directs all circumstances according to His divine plan. In a world that seems out of control, the Lord our God yet controls all things.
Lord of Nature
The Lord certainly controls all things in nature. Verse 2 and 3 describe cataclysmic events: “Therefore we will not fear though the earth give way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah
Earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes – as well as the sunshine and the bright blue skies and the changing of the seasons – all these things are under the control, not of human efforts like “Climate Change”, but under the direction of our eternal, triune God, the creator and sustainer of the entire cosmos.
In the closing chapters of Job, the Lord addresses Job, by asking,
“Have you entered the storehouses of the snow,
or have you seen the storehouses of the hail,
which I have reserved for the time of trouble,
for the day of battle and war?
What is the way to the place where the light is distributed,
or where the east wind is scattered upon the earth?
“Who has cleft a channel for the torrents of rain
and a way for the thunderbolt,
to bring rain on a land where no man is,
on the desert in which there is no man,
to satisfy the waste and desolate land,
and to make the ground sprout with grass?
“Has the rain a father,
or who has begotten the drops of dew?
From whose womb did the ice come forth,
and who has given birth to the frost of heaven?
The waters become hard like stone,
and the face of the deep is frozen.” (Job 38:22–30)
Because God controls nature, we need not fear even when cataclysmic events take place. The same principle holds true for us as it did for the disciples. They were on that little boat. The sea was deep and treacherous. The storm was whipping up the waves. And there was Jesus, sleeping through it all. Mark chapter 4 describes how “…They woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” (Mark 4:38b-41)
That doesn’t mean that God will always calm the storm. It has been righty noted that “Sometimes God calms the storm, sometimes He lets the storm rage and calms His child.”
But either way – whether He calms the storm, or allows it to rage and calms His child – He is faithful. We are simply to be still, and know that in all the trouble and chaos of life, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
Lord of History
Psalm 46 also assures us that the Lord controls history. History is nothing less than “His story.” All the chaos, confusion, and the rising and dying away of world powers, is in the hand of the Lord. Verse 6: “The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts.”
Daniel’s prophecy is often cited as a companion to the last book in the Bible, Revelation. Some people believe that by using them side by side they can know which nations will rise and which nations will fall before the glorious second coming of Jesus Christ.
But a main purpose for Daniel’s prophecy is to reinforce that the Lord is sovereign over all nations. The purpose is clearly stated multiple times, including chapter 4:17, 25, and chapter 5:21 - “The decision is announced by messengers, the holy ones declare the verdict, so that the living may know that the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone he wishes and sets over them the lowliest of people.”
Throughout history the Lord has allowed some nations to rise to power, and others to fall from power and be destroyed. Isaiah 40:15 points out: “Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are accounted as the dust on the scales…” Likewise, Proverbs 21:1 observes, “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will.”
But those verses don’t just apply to the rising and falling of political leaders and nations in Old Testament times. They apply to us as well as we look ahead to the turbulent events that will undoubtedly unfold in the new year. No matter what comes our way – whether natural disaster, political upheaval, pandemics, economic depression, or whatever else transpires in the new year – our God is sovereign; our God is in control.
History is, indeed, “His Story.” And history, rather than being a meaningless series of circular events, is a straight line leading to the second coming of Jesus Christ. He will descend in glory to judge the living and the dead and usher in eternity – eternity of great blessings to believers and eternal sorrow for those who have rejected Jesus and spurned the truths of the gospel.
Lord of the Future
This Psalm also assures us that God holds the future. Because He holds the future, we have the assurance of verse 10 where the Lord declares: “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” The Lord our God is, and will be, victorious.
The hymnwriter, Ira F. Stanphill, wrote:
I don't know about tomorrow,
I just live from day to day.
I don't borrow from its sunshine,
For its skies may turn to gray.
I don't worry o'er the future,
For I know what Jesus said,
And today I'll walk beside Him,
For He knows what is ahead.
I just live from day to day.
I don't borrow from its sunshine,
For its skies may turn to gray.
I don't worry o'er the future,
For I know what Jesus said,
And today I'll walk beside Him,
For He knows what is ahead.
Many things about tomorrow
I don't seem to understand
But I know who holds tomorrow
And I know who holds my hand
I don't seem to understand
But I know who holds tomorrow
And I know who holds my hand
There is great truth in that hymn, truth that is summarized in verse 10 which assures us that whatever transpires in our world – and whatever transpires in our personal lives – we can be still, and know the Lord our God will be exalted among the nations; He will be exalted in all the earth.
Through the desolations spoken about in verse 8, and through the wars spoken about in verse 9, God is yet at work. And, when the last chapter of history is written, it will show us that God will be exalted among the nations; He will be exalted in the earth. In that way, verse 10 is a shadow of Philippians 2:10-11. It is foreshadowing the truth that every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Christ is exalted over all to the glory of God the Father.
Strength in God Alone
Since the Lord holds all things in His hands, how are we to respond?
Verse 1 tells us to find refuge and strength in God alone: “God is our refuge and our strength, a very present help in trouble.” Or in some translations, “an ever-present help in trouble.”
The key word is “present.” There is never a time the Lord won’t be with His people. He is ever-present; He is always present. His promise is “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” “I will be with you always, even to the end of the age.” The promise given to Joshua in Deuteronomy 31:8 is also given to us: “It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”
Our God is a very present help. Not just in times of war, or famine, or natural disasters, but always. In whatever problems of life you and I will face in the new year, our God is, and will be, a very present help.
His ultimate help is found through the forgiveness of sin that is only found through saving faith in Christ. All problems in our lives and in our world are a result of sin – sin within us as children of Adam, sin that is paraded before us by the allurements of the world, and sinful thoughts that are put before us so powerfully by the temptations of the evil one. Christ alone is able to forgive our sin and reconcile us to our triune God. He shed His blood to cover our sins. And then He imputes – credits – His righteous obedience to everyone who has saving faith in Him alone.
He is the only real help we have, not only for forgiveness of sins, but for every challenge of life. One commentator, Derek Kidner, writes: “Our true security is in God, not God plus anything.” Many people look at their finances for security. Others their careers. Or perhaps their networking sources – business and family connections. But finances are by nature uncertain; worldly wealth can evaporate before our eyes. Likewise, careers that seem stable and strong can unexpectedly be terminated. Business and family associations can be great blessings, but even the closest of friends and family will let us down at times, for they too are sinners just as we are.
If there is one thing that every financial recession should teach us, it is this: Everything in life is uncertain. Everything you have based your security on, apart from Christ, can be snatched away in a moment. As Derek Kidner said: “Our true security is in God, not God plus anything.” Or as Psalm 20:7 puts it: “Some trust in chariots and some trust in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” Or Psalm 62:10 which warns: “If riches increase, set not you heart on them.”
The only way to trust in the Lord is to come to Him through saving faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus came to save His people from their sin, and the only way to be saved is through faith in Him. Jesus says, In John 14:6 “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
If you don’t have Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then you won’t have the security of having the Lord as your refuge and your strength. On the other hand, if you know with true saving faith, Jesus as your Savior from sin and the Lord of your life, then lay your fears on Him.
The Lord Who Quells Our Fears
We all have fears. So did the disciples, the apostles, the bravest prophets of old, they, too, had fears.
I like what John Calvin wrote about the statement in verse 2 and 3: “Therefore we will not fear though the earth give way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah”
John Calvin wrote: “When the sacred poet says, ‘We will not fear,’ he is not to be understood as saying that minds of the godly are exempt from all solicitude (care, concern, fear), as if they were destitute of feeling, for there is a great difference between insensibility and the confidence of faith.”
The “confidence of faith” comes in believing the promises that the Lord will be with all who have saving faith in Him. Verse 7 declares: “The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah” And verse 11 reinforces that truth word for word.
When the Psalmist writes, “The Lord of hosts is with us” he is speaking of the power of the Lord. The word “hosts” is a translation of the Hebrew word “sabaoth”, meaning “armies”. The hosts of heaven form an angelic army incomparably more powerful than any earthly power.
You may recall how the Syrian army surrounded Elisha and his servant at Dothan. Elisha was calm, but his servant was terrified. So Elisha encouraged him by saying, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed, “‘O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.’ So the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha” (2 Kings 6:17). The angelic army of God was, and is, far greater than any earthly army. Because the Lord of hosts is with us, we know the truth of 1 John 4:4 “…He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”
When the Psalmist writes that “the God of Jacob is our fortress,” he is reminding us that the almighty eternal God – the Lord of hosts – is also willing to be a fortress to fallen sinners. The Lord is described as “the God of Jacob.” Jacob, was a terrible sinner; a schemer and a liar – yet the Lord of hosts redeemed him by the gift of faith in the Messiah – faith in the one who was promised to Adam and Eve – the one who would crush the serpent and bring salvation.
Christ is known by many names – The Alpa and the Omega, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God to name a few. But He is also known as “Immanuel” meaning “God with us”. Although truly God, one with the Father and the Holy Spirit, He is also truly human; He is like us in every way except for sin. Because He is truly God, He has power to make full atonement for all of our sins. And because He is truly human, He perfectly represents us. Therefore, He, and He alone, brings salvation to everyone who has saving faith in Him.
Even though you and I are like Jacob – terrible sinners, at times, schemers and liars – forgiveness is offered full and free when we confess our sins – no matter how heinous and repulsive they may be – and trust in Christ alone for salvation. And we all stand in need of forgiveness; we are all more like Jacob than we care to admit. Like Jacob we are all sinners, but sinners saved by grace through faith in Christ.
And when we trust in Christ alone, then we have all His great and precious promises: Never will He leave us or desert us, instead He will be with us to the very end of this life, and throughout all eternity. “He will be our guide, even to the very end.” (Psa. 48:14). And before ascending into heaven Jesus promised the disciples – and promises us in His timeless word, “I will be with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Be Still and Know That He Is God
A third response is in verse 10 and 11:
“Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!”
The LORD of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah”
We can only be still and know that He is God through saving faith in Christ. And knowing that Christ is all victorious – victorious over sin, death, and Satan – we realize that He rules over all. It is with that realization, through faith in Christ, that we have the comfort of knowing “The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.”
Thinking back on how God has worked in the past gives us hope for the future. We don’t know how the Lord will use the events that unfold in the new year. Perhaps when war comes up, He won’t intervene as He did with Sennacherib. He may allow terrorists, or an invading army, to be victorious. And if that is the case, even then, we are to be still and know that He is God.
That happened to the prophet Habakkuk. Because of Judah’s sin, the Lord chastised them by sending in the Chaldeans (also known as the Babylonians) to overthrow them. The Chaldeans were a powerful and deeply feared nation. Habakkuk 1:7-11 describes them this way:
“They are dreaded and fearsome…
Their horses are swifter than leopards,
more fierce than the evening wolves;
their horsemen press proudly on.
Their horsemen come from afar;
they fly like an eagle swift to devour.
They all come for violence,
all their faces forward.
They gather captives like sand.
At kings they scoff,
and at rulers they laugh.
They laugh at every fortress,
for they pile up earth and take it.
Then they sweep by like the wind and go on,
guilty men, whose own might is their god!”
After initially complaining against God for allowing the Chaldeans to conquer Judah, Habakkuk stilled himself before God. Putting his trust in God alone he wrote, in Habakkuk 3:16-19:
I hear, and my body trembles;
my lips quiver at the sound;
rottenness enters into my bones;
my legs tremble beneath me.
Yet I will quietly wait for the day of trouble
to come upon people who invade us.
Though the fig tree should not blossom,
nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
and there be no herd in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the LORD;
I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
GOD, the Lord, is my strength;
he makes my feet like the deer’s;
he makes me tread on my high places.
____
“Since no man knows the future,” Solomon wrote, “who can tell him what is to come?” We don’t know what the new year will hold, by way of great blessings, prosperity and health. Or by way of great sorrow, death, and economic deprivation.
But if you and I truly have our faith in Christ alone, then we will have the same assurance as the sons of Korah, who wrote this Psalm. The same comfort of Luther, Elisabeth Elliot, and untold millions of other believers throughout the ages: The comfort that “God is our refuge and our strength, a very present help in trouble.” Amen.
bulletin outline:
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
Psalm 46:1
“God Is Our Refuge and Strength”
Psalm 46:1-11
I. This Psalm has been a great comfort to believers throughout the
ages as it reminds us that the Sovereign Lord controls all things:
1) Nature (1-3)
2) History (4-6)
3) The future (8-10)
II. Our response:
1) Find refuge and strength in God alone (1), through faith in
Jesus, as He is the only way to God the Father (John 14:6)
2) Lay your fears on the Lord (2), since He promises to be with all
who have saving faith in Christ alone (7, 11; Romans 8:28-39)
3) Be still, and know that the Lord is God, and rules over all (10)
* As a matter of courtesy please advise Rev. Ted Gray, if you plan to use this sermon in a worship service. Thank-you.
(c) Copyright, Rev. Ted Gray
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