“BUT GOD”
Text: Psalm 46:1-11
1God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
2Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
3Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.
4There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.
5God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.
6The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted.
7The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
8Come, behold the works of the LORD, what desolations he hath made in the earth.
9He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire.
10Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
11The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
Introduction:
In ancient Israel, God told the people to set aside six cites of refuge to whom a person could run for safety in a crisis. This psalm pictures God as a “refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” During any crisis, God is our refuge. Even when it seems as though the world is coming apart like mountains crumbling (Ps. 46:3), God's people need not be afraid. Like the protective walls of a city, God is our refuge, surrounding and protecting us. David faced many crisis, and he knew to run to God for safety. To “be still” and know that He is God (Ps 46:10) means to rest in Him, even as the crisis swirls around us. Knowing who God is helps us to remember that He is ultimately in control.
Dr. H. Norman Wright shares of a friend who once told about these experiences in a yearly family newsletter: That year, her father died. Two friends died of cancer and she knew of seven others who received a cancer diagnosis. She and her husband were in a head-on-car crash. Her husband had kidney stone surgery. Two friends went to prison. Her brother was alcoholic and suicidal, but entered an AA program. Her brother-in-law left his wife and family due to cocaine abuse. To top it all, one day she was having lunch with a friend at a nearby ocean pier when, right in front of them, an elderly man in a wheelchair pitched himself over the rail into the ocean in an attempted suicide.
You are probably thinking, “How could anyone survive all that?” But she is a survivor of her year long series of crisis. How? You may ask. It is all because of “BUT GOD” in her life.
Some people do fair so well when crisis come into their life. Just like the man who was drive home of work one evening when he came upon the scene of an accident involving a car and a motorcycle. As he approached the downed motorcycle, a disturbing recognition washed over him. The drive was his 19 year old son. Dead. This crisis threw this man into a tailspin that lasted years. You may ask, but, how did he ever come out of it? The answer is simply this, “BUT GOD.” Like Matthew 19:26 says, “But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.”
Our crises are probably not so severe; even so they are still major events for us, and we hurt no matter whither we are a Christina or not. But as Christians we have things to help us through our crises times in life.
I.BUT GOD is our Refuge.
II.BUT GOD is our Strength.
III.BUT GOD is our very present help in trouble.
Conclusion:
The song write pined these write that have spoken to me this very week. The words are:
I opened my eyes, though I could not see, so dark was the mystery I faced Who could I find to come bear this with me, to roll back the clouds for one day In search of some answers, I talked with my friends, just longing for loving advice But no one I talked to knew where to begin, they were as helpless as I.
But God sees it so clear from His throne
God considers my heartache His own
So I will lift up my head and be strong
I have a Father who's watching over and I need no other but God.
You woke up today with that same heavy heart, you wondered how long will this pass Your gleaming faith has now grown so dark, you asked Him, Lord when will this last The voice that once praised Him now groans through the tears and questions "Lord, where are You now" The hope that sustained you for all of these years seems to be fading somehow.
But God sees it so clear from His throne
God considers my heartache His own
So I will lift up my head and be strong
I have a Father who's watching over and I need no other but God.
“BUT GOD is our refuge and strength, very present help in trouble.”
