God Provides Help Psalm 46

Introduction

Good morning. Phil, open your Bibles with me to Psalm chapter forty-six. Psalm chapter 46. I trust that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. That they enjoyed the proper amount of food, and particularly Turkey. And that maybe good time was well spent with family and friends and loved ones. But perhaps most importantly, that we stopped and we enjoyed the fact that we live in a wonderful nation that is a wonderful nation because God allows it to be so, and that certainly most of all we serve an awesome God. Amen. We read about that God in Psalm chapter forty-six. Will you read with me beginning in verse one? God is our refuge and our strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though its mountains tremble at its swelling.

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. God is in the midst of her. She shall not be moved. God will help her when morning dawns. The nations rage, the kingdom’s totter, he utters his voice, the earth melts. The Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our fortress. Come, behold the works of the Lord, how he has brought desolations on the earth. He makes war cease to the end of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear. He burns the chariots with fire. 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. Well you have is this wonderful psalm, excuse me, of encouragement. If you look at verse one, you see the idea of it. It is very clear. God is our refuge and strength. He is a very present help in trouble. And while you might identify several different dates that this psalm may have been written in accordance with the Israelites’ history, we’ll examine where at least one plausible explanation is a little bit later. But we hear that word a lot recently. Did you see it? God is our what? Refuge and strength. That word’s been coming up a lot, hasn’t it? It’s managed to sneak its way into our political conversations. A refuge. What is refuge? Well, a place of refuge is somewhere where people can go for safety, for security.

God is our refuge. And certainly God is our strength. He is the source of our strength. He is what lifts us up. And he is a very present help in trouble. And we know those things, but what I’d like to examine this morning is how can I do that? And in what ways is the Lord there for me? Well, you see in verse 2, the situ the first situation painted here. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way. Now note this next picture. The second part of verse 2. Think about this in your mind. Though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling, can you imagine the mountains falling?

1. Refuge and Strength in Times of Natural Calamity

Mountains being moved into the depths or the heart of the sea. That would be a pretty seismic event, wouldn’t it? Perhaps you think of earthquakes or tsunamis or hurricanes. And you see that, frankly, the Lord provides us help in several ways. And the first one found in the first three verses is frankly help, comfort. He’s refuge and strength even in times of natural calamity. Did you see all those natural events? Have you ever seen any of those natural calamities on the news? Yeah, all you have to do is turn it on once a month or so. We’ve experienced in this country alone earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tornadoes. Certainly Florida is familiar with hurricanes and all the disastrous effects that come with that. Can you imagine? Just picture a hurricane moving through a city, or a tornado touching down, and all the destruction that it reaps in its wake.

How powerful is that storm? Well, it’s so powerful that mankind has not, and I dare say will not be able to stop them. We can take precautions, we can board up our windows against hurricanes, but we cannot stop the hurricane from coming. We cannot stop the trees from being knocked over in the case of tornadoes, homes being picked up in the case of earthquake, the ground breaking and shaking under our feet. It’s a scary time. It’s a disastrous time. The effects are felt, the effects are powerful. And yet we know, verse 2, that what is our reaction to be? Therefore we will not fear, though the earth gives way. Now I gotta tell you, that’s pretty hard for me because if the earth starts to give way, if I’m looking out at mountains, which means I’m not in Florida, if I’m looking out at mountains and they start falling into the depths of the sea, you know what first emotion I’m feeling?

Fright. I’m tempted, if I move past awe quickly, is to say, uh-oh, something really wrong is going on here. If I were to examine, as verse 3 states, the water’s roaring and foaming from a dangerous distance close to that water, I might be afraid. Think about that water that is foaming and roaring so powerfully that do you see that phrase at the end of verse 3? That the mountains tremble at its swelling? This is a powerful, natural reaction. This is a powerful consequence that we face and that this world does endure. And so I have to examine in what sense is the Lord my refuge and strength from this? In what way is he a present help in this time of trouble? What is the psalmist getting after?

Well, one such idea may be that, well, maybe the Lord is going to put a surrounding block around me up. His Christians, his people, they’re just going to be protected by a bubble, and we’re going to be okay. Do you ever be tempted to think like that? That, you know, I’m a Christian, I’m one of the Lord’s. How can this happen to me? Why did this happen? I know it’s a life event. I know that it’s a hurricane. I know it’s a tornado. I know it’s just something that happens, but how did it hit me? Why am I facing this when Christians around the world and in different parts of the country are not facing what I am? How is the Lord my strength now? In fact, it seems that maybe the Lord took my strength.

My home is all I had. My money. I’m going to have to spend to fix the house, is now depleted and gone. Where is the Lord? How is he my strength? Well, would you consider the words of Hebrews chapter 9 and verse 27? Will you turn there with me? To Hebrews chapter 9. I think there’s an interesting point when we consider what God does for us, even in the face of these quote-unquote natural calamities. In Hebrews the 9th chapter, and if we pick up the reading in verse 27, notice this text that Adam had preached on not too long ago in verses 27 and 28. And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.

And I think if you examine these first three verses of Psalms and you consider our reaction in the face of natural calamity, what we need to know from the onset is whatever happens is not of the utmost importance to our physical body. What matters? Well, let’s look at the text. What is it appointed for? Man to die once. What happens to our life, this physical life, when we’re in this tent of groaning, and we’re just passing through this world, is not the worst loss we can suffer. The worst loss would be if we die twice. Do you see that in verse 28? So Christ having been offered once for the sins of many will appear a second time. At that second time is when we want the eternal life.

God will not place a buffer around us that makes all Christians have a happy life, no problems, tornadoes will not touch you, hurricanes will not pass over your house, and you’ll just continually go around the board collecting $200 as you pass go. That’s not what life, and I say, well, that doesn’t sound very appealing. Where is the Lord there? Do you see, in verse in Psalm chapter 46 and verse 1, He is our refuge. And what way are we to seek the Lord at this time? Because we need to know who can stop those events. Who has the power? God does. Where is my strength in relying on the Lord? Even when I don’t see how or why it’s fair or just or it makes sense.

2. God Provides Help in Times of National Adversity

Who will deliver us ultimately? The Lord. Who can stop even the waves? Who can cause the mountains to fall or to be fixed back into their place? The very Lord who put them there with what? Just his spoken word. We need to remember that no matter what we face, we need to rely on the Lord. But we see that thing continued beginning in verses 4 through 9. Will you pick up the reading with me here? First point’s basic. Let’s look at this one. There’s a river whose streams may glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. God is in the midst of her. She shall not be moved. God will help her when morning dawns. The nations rage, the kingdoms taught her.

He utters his voice. The earth melts. The Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our fortress. Come, behold the works of the Lord, how he has brought desolations on the earth. He makes war cease to the end of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear. He burns the chariots with fire. Do you notice one word that keeps creeping up here? You find it in verse 2, 6, 8, 9, and 10. What is that word? The word is earth. I think that’s interesting. Who is the creator of the earth? God. Who is our strength and our refuge? Who is our present help in time of trouble when things on this earth go awry? God. Who is in control of what happens?

No matter how it seems, no matter who you feel like is winning, the Lord is. And we’ve seen national calamity, haven’t we? We’re worried about that now. We see adversity being faced by this very country. We’re concerned about terror threats from abroad. We see certainly over in other countries, this is very real. This is a struggle that has happened. And perhaps maybe even in the assembly this morning, there are those who either directly did or a family member participated in what we call world wars. This happens. But I think this happens, and we can see where and how God is our strength and our refuge, even from the Bible story. Will you turn with me in your Old Testament to 2 Kings chapter 18? I mentioned that I think we can identify at least one example of when the Psalm may have been written.

And I think it may have been around this time. In 2 Kings chapter 18, you have the kingdom of Assyria that is moving and it’s marching on towards Jerusalem. And you’re going to see the taunts of the Rabshaka beginning in verse 19 of chapter 18. Will you look with me there? Assyria is making its way to Jerusalem. It has been stopped by no one, in or out of Judah. And they think that Jerusalem is their next target. In verse 19, and the Rabshaka said to them, say to Hezekiah, thus says the great king, the king of Assyria, on what do you rest this trust of yours? Do you think that mere words are strategy and power for war? In whom do you now trust that you have rebelled against me?

Behold, you are trusting now in Egypt, that broken reed of a staff, which will pierce the hand of any man who leans on it. Such is Pharaoh, king of Egypt to all who trust in him. But if you say to me, We trust in the Lord our God. Is it not he whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed, saying to Judah and to Jerusalem, you shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem? Come now, make a wager with my master, the king of Assyria. I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able on your part to set riders on them. How then can you repulse a single captain among the least of my master’s servants when you trust in Egypt for chariots and for horsemen?

Moreover, is it without the Lord that I have come up against this place to destroy it? The Lord said to me, Go up against this land and destroy it. And you see, of course, these are mere words of war. The Rab Shaka is trying to confuse, belittle, and frighten the people of Israel, the people of Judah. He’s trying to upset the people of the Lord. And you think about that last claim in verse 20 that he’s saying, I came up here because the Lord sent me. The Lord is with me. Who are you to say, I will trust in the Lord? In verse 22. The one thing we know about King Hezekiah, if nothing else, is that we generally place him as what kind of a king?

Was he one of the evil kings or one of the good kings? He’s one of the good kings. And here’s here’s where we see the crux of faith of a man who is considered a good leader of God’s people. Absolutely Hezekiah made his mistakes. Those are well documented even within the Bible story. But consider how his response is. You see in verse 22, the Rab Shaka says, Why are you saying we trust in the Lord? And then he shows his ignorance in terms of what the high places were for. But consider whose side was God on, and what impact would that have on the story? Well, we know that God is in charge. And what’s interesting when you consider the Old Testament narrative is that as the time moves on, as the Israelites move forward, even into, and then frankly, out of the promised land.

Who decided who would win each victory? The Lord. And what’s interesting about that is his chosen people did not just win all the time. What happened to them? They would lose because what? They did not trust in the Lord. They did not rely upon him. They did not call upon his name the way he expected. They did not exalt him as the one true and living God. Their faith was misplaced. So what would Hezekiah do? Well, look with me in chapter 19. And you see, in verse 14, here’s how Hezekiah responded. In 2 Kings chapter 19, after being reassured by Isaiah in verse 14, Hezekiah received the letter from the hands of the messengers and read it. And Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord and spread it before the Lord, and Hezekiah prayed before the Lord and said, O Lord the God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God.

You alone of all the kingdoms of the earth, you have made heaven and earth. Incline your ear, O Lord, and hear. Open your eyes, O Lord, and see and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God. Truly, O Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations in their lands, and have cast their gods into the fire, for they were not gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. Therefore they were destroyed. So now, O Lord our God, save us, please from his hand that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, O God. Our Lord alone. In Psalm chapter 46, in verses 1 through 3. We know that God can make mountains fall. But we also know that that God can fix the mountains where they are.

We know that we should trust in him, no matter what. But here’s an example of a people in Jerusalem who are outmanned. You heard that in the taunt from the Rabshaka, didn’t you? We’ll give you the 2,000 if you can just place men upon them. We’ll let you do this. We’re ready to battle you. We’re going to win in every conceivable way. And if you look at their track record, what did Hezekiah even include in his prayer? What was their track record, verse 17? They have laid waste the nations in their lands. They have single-handedly, systematically moved through these lands. They were conquering city after city. They were numerous. They were mighty. These men would win every battle against the people of Jerusalem. Except these people did not have gods made of hands.

They worshiped. And Hezekiah prayed to the one true and living God, Jehovah. Hezekiah recognized God was their only refuge, that he would be their strength, that he was there for them in their time of trouble. And you see, well, of course the narrative is going to end this way. Look at verse 35. And that night the angel of the Lord went out and struck down a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies, and not just that. Then Sennachrib, king of Assyria, departed and went home and lived at Nineveh. And as he was worshiping in the rock of Nizrach, his God, Adaramelech and Sharazar, his sons, struck him down with the sword and escaped into the land of Aretat.

The king died. A hundred and eighty-five thousand Assyrians were slain. And we say, of course the story ended like that. Of course, God provides help in times of national adversity. Of course they won because Hezekiah prayed to the Lord. And of course that’s what God does. He delivers his people. And my question is, why don’t I do that? If that’s my God, if God is my refuge, if he is my strength, why is every even slight problem or everything that is going well in my life not result in me praying to the Lord, either giving him thanks or asking for help, begging him, pleading with him, acknowledging that he has promised to be our refuge, to be our strength. We serve a mighty God. Amen. We know if we turn to him, this is what God can do.

This is but one example. This is the God who parted the Red Sea. This is the God who took his people out of Egyptian bondage by working ten plagues. And eventually showing who he is. They crossed the Red Sea that God allowed Moses to part, and he worked. How many times did he deliver the people of Israel in a miraculous fashion? You think about the walls of Jericho. You think about the fact that he named Cyrus by name in Isaiah chapter 45. Years before he would reign and let go of his people. That’s the God we serve. And when we read these stories, we say, of course they won. Hezekiah turned to the Lord. That’s just what God does. He delivers his people. And then I move on in my life and I have problems.

America’s falling apart. The Middle East is a nightmare. But am I praying about it? Am I trusting in God as my refuge and my strength?

What was it that Hezekiah prayed in verse 15? Do you see it in chapter 19 of 2 Kings? O Lord, the God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God. You alone of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. We look at Psalm chapter 46, keeping those words in mind. In Psalm 46, and if you note the words of verses 6 and 7, it says, the nations rage, the kingdoms totter. And we know that’s true. But God, he utters his voice, and the earth melts. In verse 7, the Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our fortress. Come. Behold the works of the Lord. What has he done? He has brought desolations on the earth.

He makes wars cease to the end of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear. He burns the chariots with fire. God is in the midst of his people. You see in verse 5, God is in the midst of her. There’s a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. God himself is in that city as its protector. As these nations raged, and as the kingdoms tottered, to use the words of this Psalm. All God has to do is utter his voice. And the whole earth will dissolve. That is a mighty God that we serve. That is a powerful application to me to say, yes, it doesn’t matter what happens. Yes, this world is tough. Yes, crazy, awful atrocities are being committed.

3. This Affects Us Personally: Be Still and Know

People are dying around the world with cause. Wars are trying to be started. Wars might soon be started. But who do I trust in? Not our military might, not this great country, but God and God alone. We must not just say that, not just think that for political causes, but realize that because that is so. And if we don’t, we are not relying upon God as the refuge that He is. We do not have the strength that the Lord provides. And certainly we are not availing ourselves of the very present help and trouble that Psalm chapter 46 and verse 1 outlines that he would be. And consider finally that this, of course, affects us personally. And verse 10, 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. You know the thing about those natural disasters, the thing about those wars and national adversity. When it comes down to it, do you know who it affects? The people. It affects us. When a hurricane goes through Orlando, it doesn’t just affect the trees and the house, housing structures, it affects the people who live in them. When people go to war, it’s the men and women from families who are going to war in the countries that are affected by the outcome. We know that we need to personally rely upon the Lord. But what’s really difficult about this one is that I know my God can slay and has slain 185,000 Assyrians, that he allowed Hezekiah in Jerusalem to have the victory over the mighty Assyrian Empire and army.

But does God really care about my personal struggle? Does God really care? Let me ask you this first. Have we ever even given him a chance? When we face personal struggles, do we do as the words of verse 10 say? Be still and know that I am God. You know, it’s one thing to say that. It’s very different to believe it. In fact, Jesus’ disciples were told by Jesus to not let their hearts be troubled. Well, you look at John chapter 14 and verse 1. He leaves off that chapter with just those very words. Let your hearts not be troubled. Well, what’s his point? Believe in God. Believe also in me. You mean that the disciples didn’t believe in God? They didn’t believe in Jesus. In my father’s house or many rooms, if it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself. That’s where I am, you may be also. What was this in reference to? Well, you see in chapter 13 and verse 36, Simon Peter said to him, Lord, where are you going? Jesus answered, where I am going, you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward. Peter said to him, Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you. That sounds like a great thing. And what is Jesus’ response? Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly I say to you, the roaster will not crow. So you have denied me three times. It is upon that basis that in John chapter 14 and verse 1, Jesus says, Let your hearts not be troubled.

Believe in God. Believe in me. Where was the disciples’ faith if it was not in Jesus? You read in the New Testament and you see, obviously, disciples didn’t have the whole picture, but certainly they believed in Jesus. They believed in God. So what was the message from Jesus? He is going to prepare a place for us. And we know on the heavenly scale that it’s there. But you know what? That doesn’t help me right now because I’m struggling with this. I know it’s temporary, but this is hard. My life is tough. I can’t make ends meet. My relationships are not going the way I thought they would. My family is not turning out to be the source of comfort that I thought they would be. This great country, even, is falling apart.

We see the politics are drifting. There’s people at war. This life is not working out for me. And it was never supposed to be that way. God is our strength. And unless we rely upon that, unless we know that, unless we live that. And we have not put God in his rightful place. We need to know, as the words say in Psalm chapter 46 and verse 10, that God will be exalted among the nations. He will be exalted in the earth. You see earth in verse 2, in verse 6, in verse 8, in verse 9, in verse 10. Why? What’s the point? Earth is here. God is greater. God made the earth. God can end the earth. God will end the earth. Will we rely upon him to be with him for all of eternity?

Conclusion

He wants to be our protector. He will be our refuge. He will be our strength. He will be our help in times of trouble. But will I turn to him when I need him? And that’s the question that only I can answer for myself. But the thing about Hezekiah was he didn’t just say the words because it sounded right. Hezekiah truly trusted in the Lord. And the fallout of that was great victory for the people. They won a battle that they should not have won. Because the Lord was on their side. Will you go to God in prayer with me at this time? Our dear God and most gracious Heavenly Father. We are so humbled that you allow us to be called children of you. O Lord, you are a mighty God.

We praise you. We recognize that you created the heavens and the earth with just your spoken word. O Lord, we know that you are the King of Kings. We know that you are the Lord of Lords. Help us to be pleasing to you. Help us to bring honor and glory in this life to your name. Help us to be lights into the world that shine in a way becoming of you. Forgive us of when we do wrong, dear Lord. Forgive us of when we do not elevate you to the position of God, not only of the earth, but of my life. Help me in all things and all ways to please you, to trust you. Thank you so much for seeking me, seeking us, being willing to be our refuge, to be our strength, and to be our help in times of trouble.

O Lord, forgive us of when we do wrong. Help us to do what’s right. We pray, dear Lord, this very day that as we learn more about you, we have our hearts open, and that our hearts will allow us to move in service to you. That we will not be blocked by any idea of ourselves, but we will just simply and utterly obey what you have commanded. Thank you so much for sending Jesus to Christ to die on the cross for our sins, for without his blood, we could not have our sins forgiven. We pray this very day, this very morning, that we worship you in spirit and truth as you would have us to worship. And we pray all these things in the name of Jesus the Christ.

Amen.