Psalms Week 3 • Psalm 46

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Well, good morning.

If you've got your Bibles, go ahead and open them up to Psalm 46.

That's where we're going to be this morning.

As you turn there, I want to give you an important date to put on your calendar that did not

make the slides for this week, but will be in there as we go forward.

I'd like for you to make a special note for November the 21st.

On Sunday, November 21st, that's the Sunday before Thanksgiving, we're going to gather

here like we always do in the morning.

We'll still be in our series on the Psalms, but we're going to come back on Sunday evening,

not for our regularly scheduled ministry activities, but we'll gather back together as a church family

at four o'clock for a special night of focus on missions and prayer.

And I'd like to ask each and every one of you to join us for this evening.

Now, we are going to have a special guest speaker that will be here with us that evening.

And because of where he has served, I cannot share details with you, a lot of details with

you right now because we're live streaming.

And for security reasons, they've asked us not to.

But I can tell you that we will have a missionary who has served for many years alongside his

wife in a very prominent war-torn country that many of us are aware of.

He's going to be with us that evening to share openly and honestly about what it's like to

live and do ministry in this country.

And also to share with us what God has been doing, and even in the midst of the crisis of

this country finds themselves, which caused him and his family to have to be evacuated,

what God is continuing to do.

After he shares, we're going to have a time where we'll take some time to pray for all of

our ministry, I'm sorry, all of our mission partners together as a church family.

And then like good Baptists, we'll have a time after that where we'll eat some sweets

together, okay?

But I want to make sure that you're there for the important part for that on Sunday, November

21st.

We'll get out more details as we can, but not on anything that's going to be on the internet

or social media or in those capacities, all right?

So please mark it on your calendar.

Be there.

It'll be a phenomenal night.

So as we're continuing on in our series in the Psalms, and the band is going to lead us

at the conclusion of this message in Psalm 46, but I want to kind of give some background

of what's going on in Psalm 46.

Now, this was probably written by King Hezekiah.

We aren't 100% sure, but that's what most theologians believe, that King Hezekiah wrote

this during the time when Jerusalem was held captive by the Assyrians.

And now you can read that story starting around 2 Kings chapter 18, and we're not going to

2 Kings 18 · chapter mention

jump there and read all that, but that's kind of the background of what's there.

A lot of what's written during that section of 2 Kings is recorded also in the prophet Isaiah.

This is the time that the prophet Isaiah was being the mouthpiece for the Lord to Israel

during this time, and the emphasis of this passage is going to be the presence of the Lord with

His people.

It's an important thing for us.

It's an important thing for all of God's people.

A continual reminder in spite of everything that surrounds us, in spite of what our brain

says to us, in spite of what our emotions make us feel, the ever-steady presence of the Lord

with His people.

And we're going to see a beautiful, honest assessment of this from the hand of Hezekiah as we read

Psalm 46.

So let's go ahead and start.

We're going to read the first three verses.

He writes and he says,

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth gives way and the mountains be moved into the

heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling.

And so here's what's happening during the reign and rule of King Hezekiah.

Jerusalem is being held captive by the Assyrians.

It's a time of chaos.

It's a time of war.

It's a time of fear in the life of King Hezekiah and a time for God's people in Jerusalem.

And so Hezekiah goes in the way that he can and begins to record what he is feeling in

line with the truth of who God is.

And I think that's important for us.

We all have our roller coasters of ups and downs, amen?

We all feel better on some days than others, amen?

Like, we walk through this.

It's the picture of life that's there.

But oftentimes, you and I get so lost in the roller coaster of emotion that we're facing,

and it's real, and it's honest, and we can forget in that the absolute truth of who God

is.

And what I love about Psalm 46 is Hezekiah is saying, man, this is what I'm feeling.

This is what we're going through.

But here's the truth of who God is, in the midst of that.

And so the first thing that we see, we're going to look at three different things that point

us to the Lord in this.

The first one that we see is that God is our strength.

God is our strength.

Verse 2 and 3 do not paint a very good picture, right?

From His words, He says, the earth gives way.

Now, let's be honest, how many of you have been to the state fair this year?

Raise your hand.

Let's just a little quick poll.

How many of you have been, all right?

How many of you, by show of hands, went for the food?

Let's be honest, all right?

That's me, right?

It's the only time that you're willing to pay $38 for a corn dog and french fries, right?

But we do it, and it is phenomenal, and it's all organic and healthy.

That's what I tell myself, all right?

It's good for us, right?

Adds years to your life, right?

So, I'm not a rides guy anymore.

I used to be a rides guy.

And somewhere around the age of 35, rides went from fun to miserable, like overnight, right?

We went to North Augusta to a thing that they have there.

It's kind of their local fair.

North Augusta is my hometown.

And it's called the Jack-o'-lantern Jubilee.

And my daughter, they have like three rides there.

It's real small, you know?

They're real small.

And they have like three rides.

And one of them was that ride, it's like the teacups at Disney World.

Y'all know what I'm talking about?

I think it's called like the Scramble or something like that.

And my daughter, she's like, Dad, ride this with me.

And I was like, all right, cool.

I can do this.

So, we get in there, and I'm excited, and she's nervous.

And I'm like, hey, hands up the whole time, right?

And she's like, all right, absolutely, hands up the whole time.

And so, I went from like hands up the whole time to like, please, get me off of this thing

as fast as you possibly can.

And like the rest of the day, I'm just walking around like I get hit by a Mack truck, all right?

So, the earth gives way.

When I was thinking about this, I thought of the fair.

And I thought to my life when I was a little kid and I would go to the fair,

and one of the things that I loved to do was to go to the funhouse.

And you'd walk through the funhouse, and there was the punching bags that you could run through,

and people were knocking them, and you'd fall all over.

There was the mirrors that you would walk through, and they would distort you

and show you look in different ways, or the maze of mirrors that you'd have to navigate through

and try to get the maze.

But my favorite one was when you would walk, and you would see the floor was moving, right?

Like, I'm not sure how this thing passes insurance, but it does, okay?

And it's there, and you walk on there, and as a little kid, it's just so funny

because you're falling down, and then you get back up, and you fall down again.

Hezekiah says, where we're at right now, as a people,

it literally feels like the earth is giving way.

He said that the mountains, it feels like they've moved into the sea.

What's around him, what's surrounding him that should be good and normal and stable

feels like it's crumbling and falling apart.

And he describes the waters.

He said the waters, they roar and they foam, and the scariest word of them all,

they're swelling, right?

Here's what Hezekiah is saying, like, everything that was stable is gone,

and what is there feels like it is consuming me.

And this is how he felt.

What should be stable is not.

What surrounds him is falling apart, and what is there is absolutely trying to consume him.

And when the Assyrians threatened Jerusalem, though, the prophet Isaiah told Hezekiah,

and he said, do not be afraid because of what you've heard.

Do not be afraid because of what you've seen.

The prophet Isaiah tells him, instead, what you need to do

is you need to trust in the covenant relationship of God.

That you are his people.

As Leslie and Amanda sang, you were chosen, not forsaken.

This is who you are, in spite of all that surrounds you.

In spite of where the earth begins to move and sway.

In spite of what's there.

And so what Hezekiah does is he speaks to the truth of God

in the midst of all that surrounds him.

He says, you know what?

In this, God is our refuge.

He's our place of protection.

And God is our strength in spite of all of this.

What we're going to see in verse 7 and verse 11,

there's three different times where Hezekiah says that God is our refuge.

In verse 1, when he uses that word, it's a picture in a piece of shelter.

A place that you would go in, in the midst of the storm.

Don't stand out there in what is happening, what is beating you up.

Instead, find your refuge in the Lord.

Go into Him.

Shelter into Him.

And in verse 7 and verse 11, it's the same concept,

but instead, the word of the fortress is used.

So when you are attacked, when the arrows come, when the fight is there,

make sure that you find your fortress.

Make sure that you find your shelter in the Lord and in Him.

Now, I don't know about you, but when I think of shelter,

when I think of fortress, it's a place that we go to wait until the battle's over.

We wait until this passes.

But Hezekiah gives us a different picture of what it means to shelter in,

to fortress in the Lord.

He says that when we do this, what we find is our purpose of where God has for us

is to find our strength as we're here.

And so he says, God is our refuge and strength,

a very pleasant help in trouble.

And so God shelters us so that He can strengthen us,

so that He can send us.

God shelters us so that He can strengthen us,

so that He can send us.

Now, I want to ask you this.

I saw some heads nodding just a few minutes ago

when we were beginning to talk about the circumstances and the things around you.

What do you need shelter from right now?

Where do you need to be fortressed right now?

What is going on in your life where it feels like the earth is moving,

the mountains are collapsing,

and the sea is rising and about to consume you right now?

What do you need to be brought in from?

What do you need to find strength in?

Right now, what I look at and what I see and what I experience,

even within myself and with others,

is, man, there's people that are struggling in their finances.

I need my finances to be strong.

So many marriages right now

are in the battle of the fight headed toward destruction.

I talk to parents who are broken because of the battle that they're facing with their kids

and what that looks like.

I talk to men and women with their careers of what God has for them

and say, you know what, I want strong finances.

I want strong marriages.

I want strong relationship with my kids or even some of us.

I want strong relationship with my parents.

I want a strong career that glorifies God.

But so many times we want strength in these places,

but we're just going to go to ourselves

instead of going into him,

into him, our refuge,

and doing it in his will.

I want you to picture you're somewhere and a storm comes up

and there's a shelter that's there

and the shelter's got a door.

But you say, no, I'll be okay because I can see the shelter.

I'll be okay because I'm standing near the shelter.

I'm good because I know where the shelter is.

None of those things work.

And you and I would be foolish if that's what we would do.

What do we do?

We go into them.

We go into them.

And we say, no, no, no.

This is where it's found is inside of it.

Right?

Instead of I know about it,

I can tell you about it.

I've seen it.

I've even experienced it in the past.

And instead of diving into it, right?

So what does it mean to be in the Lord?

What does it mean to be in his refuge?

What does it mean that he is our fortress?

And what I find as I read through this

and studied through this way

is that what you and I have to say,

what you and I have to agree to

is that going into God is going into his will.

Going into God is going into his presence.

And I want to be honest with you.

What I've noticed within my own life

and in the life of so many people

that we deal with on these four topics

that just seem to be standing out

more and more ever-present

in our society and in our church today

is let me tell you this.

Our finances struggle because we do it our way.

That's why finances struggle.

Let's admit that.

You and I, we're not good with it

when we do it our way.

But God says,

you want strength in your finances?

Give me your tithe,

give me your offering,

and watch me provide.

Refuge in me in your finances.

Do it in my will, do it my way.

You and I, you say,

man, our marriages struggle.

Well, they struggle because we do it our way.

They struggle because we do it as an individual.

They struggle because we do it with a goal

or with a heart to get right.

But God says,

you want your marriage to be strong?

Then do it my way.

Do it in my will.

So husbands,

love sacrificially.

I get this.

Think of her first and primary.

You are not there to be served.

It's not what God's word tells us.

But you are there to serve her well,

to love her well,

and to do so with an end goal,

not so that she'll serve you in return,

but with an end goal

so that she will grow and mature in Christ.

That's God's will for your marriage.

That's it.

So husbands,

get off your throne

and serve.

And so wives,

trust your husbands.

Trust them.

Follow them.

encourage them.

And love them in a way

that empowers them

to seek the will of God

for your family.

Understanding that both of these

demand a deep level of sacrifice

from the husband and the wife.

Right?

This is what God calls us to.

This is what it means to refuge in Him

so that our marriages can be strong.

How about your relationship

with your kids?

Right?

They struggle because we want it

to do them our way.

We want to beat into them

what we think.

We want to beat into them

what we think they should be,

what we have experienced

to learn from us

that we are the authority

instead of fighting

for their hearts.

Right?

Instead of fighting

the world

that's seeking

to capture their hearts.

God says to love,

shape,

nurture,

and release

all with an attitude

and a heart of peace.

But they are His

and we are stewards of them.

Right?

They are not our clone.

They are not to accomplish

what we couldn't

within ourselves.

They are the Lord's.

Right?

Our careers.

We want strength

in our careers

but we need to stop

doing them our way.

Right?

We work for our boss.

We work for our promotion.

We work for our ego.

We work for what we determine

is right.

But God says,

no, no.

Whatever you do,

you're doing it for me.

You're not doing it for him.

You're not doing it for her.

You're not doing it

for the paycheck.

The honor and the integrity

in which you are doing it with

is done in a way

to seek to glorify me

and to serve me.

So whatever you do,

do it all for the glory of God

in everything

of who we are.

So if you're miserable

in your career right now,

let me ask you,

who are you focused in on

in that?

And is it Jesus?

In where we find ourselves.

When we refuge in his will

and in his way,

what we find is the strength

to go and do

what he's called us to do.

But we've got to be in him.

Why would God give you his strength

so that you could do it his way?

It's been a hard lesson for me this week.

Why would God give you his strength

for you to turn around

and do it your way?

But he gives you his strength

so that you and I

can do it his way

in his will

for his name

for his glory.

Let's keep reading verses 4 and 7.

There is a river

who 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 kingdoms totter.

He utters his voice.

The earth melts.

The Lord of hosts

is with us.

The God of Jacob

is our fortress.

And so not only do we see

in these times of trouble

that we're reminded

that God is our strength,

but we're also reminded

that God is our joy.

When the Assyrians

held Jerusalem captive,

they camped around the city.

And this was a technique

that was used

by most armies

during this time.

You'll even see

God's people

as God's leading them

to overtake the promised land.

What God would do

is he would call oftentimes

the people to camp

around the city.

And what would happen

in these cases

by doing that,

they would cut off

the supplies

that the people would need

in the city

in order to survive.

And one of these,

particularly in Jerusalem,

was water, right?

Like you can be

without a lot of things.

You cut people off

from water still today

and civilization

is not going to thrive.

And so the Assyrians thought,

man, if we can just cut them,

if we can cut

the people of Jerusalem

off from the water

that they desperately need,

then we'll be over

to overtake.

But Hezekiah

had done something different.

He'd done something

that the Assyrians

didn't know.

Hezekiah built

a water system

underneath Jerusalem

that connected Jerusalem

to an outside water source.

And so in this,

he says,

there is a river

whose streams

make glad

the city of God.

This could have been

a literal explanation

of what's happening, right?

He did this.

It's the city of God.

It's Jerusalem.

There's a river

who will bring this in

and make us glad,

but Hezekiah

has a spiritual implication

for this as well.

As the waters come,

so too does God,

and with it comes

the victory, right?

Where do you find joy?

Where do you find joy?

I had a pastor.

I had lunch with him

on Wednesday.

He asked me two questions.

As he was talking,

he's new

and we were having

a conversation.

He said,

where does your happiness

come from?

We talked a little bit

about that.

He says,

where does your joy

come from?

Two different questions.

So many of us

find our joy

in the circumstances.

And when our joy

is found

in the circumstances

of life,

so many of us

lose our joy

in the exact

same means.

For the people

of Jerusalem,

they look out

and they see

this army

surrounding them.

They see that

they are about

to take them

and take from them.

But instead,

they're called

to remember

who God is

and what God does

and that is not

in what surrounds them

where their joy,

where their hope,

where their peace

is found,

but it's found

in him

who flows

through them.

It's easy

to look around us

and think

that God has failed.

It's easy

to look in your life

and in my life

and to see situations

that didn't play out,

situations that we

would not have chosen

and to see

where God has failed.

And I imagine

if I'm Hezekiah,

if I'm a person

in Jerusalem right now,

I'm looking out,

I'm looking around

and I'm seeing

the army

that is around me

and the reality

of what's happening,

the reality

of what's taking place.

And in that

and in this situation,

it's easy to look

and say,

we've messed up,

this is what happened

to us,

but where are you,

God?

And have you ever

been there?

Have you ever been,

where are you, God?

Why God?

I don't understand God.

But God

will always

hold true

to His word

and true

to His promises.

That the Israelites

were chosen,

not forsaken,

and that you

and I

can cling

to the same truth

in spite of

what surrounds us,

in spite of

what comes

to consume us.

So God

rescued His people.

He rescued His people.

The Assyrians

would not take Him.

And God did it

in a miraculous way.

One night,

the angel

of the Lord

came and struck

down

185,000

Assyrians.

And the king

of Assyria

fled.

You and I

look for joy

in a lot of ways.

We look for joy

in our circumstances.

We look for joy

in our timing.

We look for

for joy

in the creation

that we've been

blessed with.

But instead,

we need to remember

that our joy

does not come

from our circumstances.

That our joy

does not come

from our timing.

That our joy

does not come

from creation.

But that our joy

comes from the one

who's over the circumstances.

That our joy

comes from the one

who is sovereign

over the timing.

That our joy

comes from the one

who created creation.

Right?

Romans 15,

13 tells us,

May the God

of hope

fill you

with all joy

and peace.

Comma,

as you trust

him.

As you trust

him.

Right?

Well,

I don't feel joy

right now.

Well,

I don't feel

peace.

Why are you

trusting the Lord?

You trust him.

You trust him

and watch

where the joy

comes from.

You trust him.

You trust him

and you watch

where the peace

comes from.

Joy comes from trust

and trust

comes from releasing.

So I want to ask you

this question.

What do you need

to release today?

What do you need

to release today?

What do you need

to say,

God,

it's 185,000

soldiers

and I can't do it.

And God's saying,

I know.

So stop trying.

What do you need

to release today

and trust

that God will do

as he wills.

That God will do

as he plans.

And that God

will bring the end

and we trust him

all the way through it.

Lastly,

verses 8 and 9.

Hezekiah writes

and he says,

come behold

the works of the Lord

how 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.

Be still

and know

that I am God.

I will be exalted

among the nations.

I will be exalted

in the earth

and the Lord

of hosts

is with us.

The God

of Jacob

is our fortress,

right?

And for so many of us,

we just heard

that verse,

right?

And went,

aha,

there it is.

Be still

and know

that I am God.

In the midst

of all of this,

this is the heart

and the posturing

of what God

is calling us to.

And in this,

what we will see

is that God

is glorified.

What we exist for,

what our purpose is,

where our meaning

is found

in the glory

and in the exaltation

of the one

and only God,

the living God.

And so right now,

you feel like you're surrounded.

Right now,

you feel like you lay in fear.

Right now,

you wake up

and that

in which has held you

in captivity

is gone.

And this is what happens

to Jerusalem.

They just wake up

one morning,

they look out the windows,

dead bodies.

They wake up one morning

and equipment

that's been walked away from,

tents that are empty.

They wake up one morning

and weapons

that were held

and challenged

to their life

are laid down.

But yet,

no battle

on this earth

amongst men

has taken place

and God

has won.

And God says,

in that,

what we do

is we give Him glory.

We give Him glory.

To give God glory

is to rightly acknowledge

and give praise.

Right?

And so this verse

that we've uttered,

this verse

that we've clinged to

begins to be more

and more real

as we see

and understand

of what's going on.

Be still

and know

that I am God

and I will be exalted

in the earth.

Right?

There's three phrases

that form one sentence

that give us so much hope

and purpose

and passion

for the gospel.

Right?

God says first,

be still.

Be still.

This phrase,

be still,

literally means

take your hands

off of it.

Right?

Take your hands

off

and relax.

And relax.

So what's going on

in your life,

what's going on

in those battles

is the reminder

right here

that you

in your ability,

that you

in your means,

that you

in your own power,

you do not have

the fight.

God does.

Be still.

Let it go.

Let it go.

But letting it go

acknowledges

that it's no longer

about your way.

Letting it go

means that you

let it go

and that you

let go of control.

And he says,

know that I am God.

Know that I am God.

Acknowledge him.

Stop taking credit

in the victory

and give God

the credit he deserves.

We do it all the time.

I do it all the time.

We do it in our mind.

We do it in our hearts.

We do it in our words

and our action.

God blesses.

God works.

And let me take

the credit for it.

Right?

But instead,

declare who he is

and what he's done.

So you gain victory

in your finances.

Let people know

it's because of the Lord.

You gain victory

in your marriage.

Let them know

that it's because of God

and let people know it.

You gain victory

in your relationship

with your kids,

at work,

with your neighbor.

Let everyone know

that it's not

by your doing,

that it's not

by your power,

that it's not

by your means,

but instead,

it's by the gracious

working of the hand

of God.

And we praise him for it.

We praise him for it.

And he says,

and I

will be exalted

in the earth.

I will be exalted

in the earth.

You know,

God's people then

and God's people today

continually look

to others

to help them

in the time of need.

God's people

during this time

thought about Egypt.

Well,

I wonder if the Egyptians

could come

and help us.

You remember

the Egyptians

that held us captive,

the Egyptians

that enslaved us,

the Egyptians

that brought us from

and that God saved us

and that God

redeemed us from.

Maybe they can be

the ones

that help us.

They can be the ones

to set us free.

But God says,

no, no, no,

it's about me

and what I'm gonna do.

So what does that

look like for us?

You ever been

in a financial trouble

and thought,

if I just have more money,

then I could fix it.

But if you did,

here's the truth,

then the money

would be what saved you

and not God.

Have you ever thought

if my spouse

would just change,

then my marriage

would be strong.

But then your spouse

would be what saved

your marriage

and not God.

Or maybe this is

even more like it,

if my spouse

would just listen to me,

but then you would be

your own savior

of your own marriage

and not God.

if my kids

would just change,

if my job

would just change.

And then in all of these,

the glory goes to you,

the glory goes to me,

the glory goes to others

instead of it

just being to God.

I'm gonna ask you this morning.

as you look out

into the battlefields

of your life,

what do you see?

Where's the battle

that's taking place?

Where do you see

that the struggle

is coming from?

Let me ask you this.

Are you finding

your strength

in God

and power

in his will?

Do you feel

that your joy

comes and goes

and flows

and in and out?

Well, maybe you're

looking for joy

in something

that was never created

to give you joy.

Right?

And when the victory comes,

when the battle is won,

who do you declare

is the victor?

Right?

What a great testimony

to those at work,

to those in your home,

to those that God

have given you.

Of, you know,

my marriage

was falling apart.

My finances

were struggling.

My kids

are in rebellion.

And it's not

because I read a book.

It's not because

I started doing things

differently.

It might have been used.

It might have been

a part of it.

But ultimately,

the glory

and credit

goes to the Lord.

Because he

is faithful.

Would you pray with me?

Lord God,

we praise you

that you are

our refuge

and our strength.

Lord,

as we look

at these words

that are found

in this scripture,

we're reminded

of the battles

that we face

on a daily basis.

A battle

that when we face

in our own power

and on our ability

is too much.

It feels like

185,000 soldiers

that have surrounded us.

And we need to run,

we need to flee,

we need to wave

the white flag.

We need to look at

someone else

to come and secure us

and rescue us.

Lord,

instead of

falling down

before you,

to be still,

to know

that you're God.

Lord,

and to release

and to give you glory

because of your faithfulness.

Lord,

I pray

that as we

go through the battles

and daily fights

that we face,

Lord,

I pray

for the depth

of trust

that you've

called us to.

The depth

of trust

to lean not in

on our own

understanding,

Lord,

but to know

that you

are sovereign

and holy

and in control.

To know

that the victory

is found

in a greater plan

and a greater purpose

than what we

could ride out.

Lord,

Lord,

we just need

to trust you.

Not in some,

but in all.

Lord,

I pray

as we got

our battles

that we face

through your grace

and your kindness,

Lord,

that we find

strength

in you

and in you alone.

Lord,

draw us to you

so that we can

refuge in you.

Know your will

and know your purpose

and know your plan.

Lord,

remind us

of your faithfulness,

of our joy

that is found

in you.

our hope

that is found

in you

and our peace

that's found

in you.

And that,

Lord,

for us to experience

that is to

trust you.

Not with a part,

but with a whole.

Not with a section,

but with all of it.

And, Lord,

may we be still

and know that you

are God

and see that your name

will be exalted

among the nations.

thanks again for listening

to the Willow Ridge Church

weekly podcast.

We hope that you enjoyed

listening to this week's message.

If you'd like to learn more

about who we are

or explore additional resources,

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