Do you have a place where you can go to get a moment of relaxation or refuge? For some of you, that might be your home, or your back porch, or something like that. For me, it’s my office here at the church. Sometimes, when things get crazy at the church, or I’ve been running around doing different things, I feel the need to go in my office, shut the door, and just seek some refuge. My office sort of calms me, relaxes me, and resets me.
We need a place of refuge.
Today, in Psalm 46, we’re going to learn that there’s no better refuge than the Lord. There’s no better strength than the Lord.
Today’s sermon is entitled “The Lord Our Strength.”
This psalm is given to us by the sons of Korah. We don’t know much about them, but they were a family group, probably musicians or lyricists, who wrote several psalms and may have done some other things.
By the way, this psalm also uses the word selah several times. We’re not exactly sure what it means, but we think it’s a musical expression that serves as a pause or a moment to reflect.
Ok, let’s look at Psalm 46 together:
1 God is our refuge and strength,
a helper who is always found
in times of trouble.
2 Therefore we will not be afraid,
though the earth trembles
and the mountains topple
into the depths of the seas,
3 though its water roars and foams
and the mountains quake with its turmoil.
Selah
4 There is a river—
its streams delight the city of God,
the holy dwelling place of the Most High.
5 God is within her; she will not be toppled.
God will help her when the morning dawns.
6 Nations rage, kingdoms topple;
the earth melts when he lifts his voice.
7 The Lord of Armies is with us;
the God of Jacob is our stronghold.
Selah
8 Come, see the works of the Lord,
who brings devastation on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease throughout the earth.
He shatters bows and cuts spears to pieces;
he sets wagons ablaze.
10 “Stop fighting, and know that I am God,
exalted among the nations, exalted on the earth.”
11 The Lord of Armies is with us;
the God of Jacob is our stronghold.
Selah
Let’s pray together before we go any further.
(prayer)
Alright, let’s draw out three principles we can learn from this psalm.
First, . . .
I. God is our helper.
The famous group of theologians, known as the Beatles, said, “Help! I need somebody. Help! Not just anybody. Help! You know I need someone. Help!”
We need some help, don’t we?
We have political turmoil in our country. We have economic turmoil in our country. We have multiple wars taking place. We have entire countries with toppled governments. We have brokenness in our families. We have evil and perversion being taught to our children. We have pastors who are caught in sin and scandals. We have drugs and depression. We have fires, hurricanes, droughts, pollution, and more.
We need some help, don’t we? We need a helper.
Listen, church: God is our helper.
Verse 1 says that God is “ . . . a helper who is always found in times of trouble.”
Speaking of the city of God, verse 5 says, “ . . . God will help her when the morning dawns.”
In times of trouble, God is there to help us. Also, each new day, when the morning dawns, God is there to help us.
Have you ever been in a time of trouble and you need some help?
Perhaps you’re changing a dirty diaper, and you yell across the house, “I need some help in here!”
Perhaps you’re doing your taxes, so you call your accountant and say, “I need some help!”
Perhaps you and your spouse are having a difficult time, or you’re having a hard time with one of your children, so you call a trusted Christian friend and say, “I need some help.”
We need help in many different ways.
Listen, friend: God is your helper in times of trouble. He cares about you. He knows what you need. He can help you.
So, also, His help is not available just every once in a while.
You won’t wear out your welcome with God. You won’t annoy Him by asking Him for help too many times. You won’t exhaust His resources.
When the morning dawns every single day, God is our helper!
“Great is Thy faithfulness, Great is Thy faithfulness. Morning by morning new mercies I see. All I have needed Thy hand hath provided. Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me”
Brothers and sisters, God loves us, and He is our helper.
Second, we see that . . .
II. God is our strength.
Sometimes, we need additional or greater strength, don’t we?
We may need someone to help us carry a couch. We may need the other parent to talk to the kids. We may need someone to open a jar for us.
We do not have the strength we need to handle everything that life throws at us. We do not have the strength to measure up to God’s standard. We do not have the strength to keep absorbing evil attacks against us.
I think my younger boys think I’m invincible. They love to punch me in the gut. They’ll say, “Dad, can I punch you?” Then, they just slug me right in the stomach. After I’ve eaten, that’s no fun. I’m not strong enough to handle the physical assault of growing boys.
So also, you and I are not strong enough on our own. We need strength.
Psalm 46:1 says, “God is our refuge and strength.”
Verse 7 says, “The Lord of Armies is with us;
the God of Jacob is our stronghold.”
Verse 11 says, “The Lord of Armies is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold.”
Notice also that verses 4 and 5 speak of a river that provides blessing to the city of God. It says, “There is a river—its streams delight the city of God, the holy dwelling place of the Most High. God is within her; she will not be toppled.”
Have you ever noticed that most major cities are located on or near a water source such as a river, a lake, or an ocean?
Water helps bring flourishing to a city in many different ways. This psalm speaks of a metaphorical river that brings strength to the city of God. The streams of this river delight the city of God.
Church, may we all realize that there is strength and blessing that comes from the Lord God.
God is better than escaping to your office for refuge. God is better than home, sweet home. God is better than a security blanket. Children, God is stronger than your parents. God is able to bless you more than your grandparents. God is more secure than Fort Knox. God is stronger than the Hoover Dam. God is tougher than the Marine Corp. He’s smarter than the Air Force. He’s more responsive than the Coast Guard. He’s more consistent than the Army. He’s more traveled than the Navy.
When we are weak, He is strong. When the world is dangerous, He is strong. When we are down, He is strong. When others attack, He is strong. When all is hopeless, He is strong.
Philippians 4:13 says, “I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me.”
Exodus 15:2 says, “The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.”
Listen, church: You and I are not strong enough on our own. We need the strength of God. So, also, this world is not strong enough to defeat us, because we have the strength of God.
That takes us to our third point:
III. God is our victor.
Now, when I say that God is our victor, I don’t mean that Victor is His name.
Rather, I mean that God is the victorious one!
God is the one who brings victory!
Listen to Psalm 46:
Verse 2, “We will not be afraid . . .”
Verse 7, “The Lord of Armies is with us . . .”
Verse 8, “Come, see the works of the Lord, who brings devastation on the earth.”
Verse 9, “He makes wars cease throughout the earth. He shatters bows and cuts spears to pieces; he sets wagons ablaze.”
Verse 11, “The Lord of Armies is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold.”
Church, aren’t you glad that victory is not totally dependent on you? Aren’t you glad that victory is not dependent upon our government? Aren’t you glad that victory is not dependent on any military power?
All of those things can fail! However, God will never fail! He is victorious! He will win!
I love how this psalm points out the catastrophe that is happening in the world and then points to the victory of God.
Just to be clear, the writers of this psalm are pointing to terrible things that could happen.
Think for a minute about terrible things that could happen all around us.
Here’s what the sons of Korah thought about. Verses 2 and 3 say, “though the earth trembles and the mountains topple into the depths of the seas, though its water roars and foams and the mountains quake with its turmoil.” This is exaggerated language, like something out of a Hollywood movie. Church, though the entire earth would come crashing down, God is our victor!
Verse 6 says, “Nations rage, kingdoms topple; the earth melts when he lifts his voice.” Church, God is our victor!
Verse 9 says, “He makes wars cease throughout the earth. He shatters bows and cuts spears to pieces; he sets wagons ablaze.” Church, God is our victor!
In Verse 10, God speaks as He says, “Stop fighting, and know that I am God, exalted among the nations, exalted on the earth.”
Many of you know this verse as “Be still and know that I am God.”
Here’s the point: with all the craziness that is going on around us, we must pause and recognize that God is our victor. We must know that He is God.
Brothers and sisters, we must understand there is victory in the Lord!
One day, when Jesus returns, He will show Himself as the ultimate victor, the ultimate victorious one!
Revelation 19:11–16 says, “Then I saw heaven opened, and there was a white horse. Its rider is called Faithful and True, and with justice he judges and makes war. His eyes were like a fiery flame, and many crowns were on his head. He had a name written that no one knows except himself. He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his name is called the Word of God. The armies that were in heaven followed him on white horses, wearing pure white linen. A sharp sword came from his mouth, so that he might strike the nations with it. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will also trample the winepress of the fierce anger of God, the Almighty. And he has a name written on his robe and on his thigh: King of Kings and Lord of Lords.”
God is our victor! In Him, we find help. In Him, we find strength. In Him, we find victory.
That takes us to our bottom line:
Bottom Line: God is the refuge and strength that His people need.
Church, we need a helper. We need some strength. We need a victor.
God is the refuge and strength that we need.
He is the place where we can go and feel secure, refreshed, and strengthened.
“God is our refuge and strength, a helper who is always found in times of trouble.”
I pray that the truths discovered in Psalm 46 bring you hope and joy.
Challenge yourself this week in the following ways:
Weekly Challenge #1 – Identify some ways that God is your refuge.
Take some time to think through how God is your refuge. How does He bring you hope? How does He bring you safety? Comfort? Strength? Victory? Perhaps you can write down these truths that you identify. Perhaps you can share them with others.
Weekly Challenge #2 – Ask the Holy Spirit to comfort you with His presence.
Some of you may not feel the comfort of God. You may not feel like He is your refuge. Ask Him to comfort you by the power and presence of His Holy Spirit.
(Gospel presentation)
(closing prayer)
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