MELVIN M. NEWLAND, MINISTER
RIDGE CHAPEL, KANSAS, OK
(REVISED: 2019)
(The powerpoints used with this message are available for free. Just email me at mnewland@sstelco.com and request #129.)
TEXT: Psalm 46:1-11
A. Have you ever heard the story of "Alexander and his Horrible, Terrible, Not Good, Very Bad Day"? Some of you have, but for those who haven't, let me tell you about him.
ILL. Alexander was a boy about 7 or 8 years old, & he had one of those days when everything went wrong, disasters one right after another. Nothing went right. "It was a Horrible, Terrible, Not Good, Very Bad Day."
For instance, when Alexander woke up in that morning, he discovered that he had gone to bed with gum in his mouth, & when he awoke it was in his hair. When he got out of bed he tripped over his skateboard, & then he accidentally dropped his sweater into the sink where the water was running.
After that he said, "I just knew it was going to be a Horrible, Terrible, Not Good, Very Bad Day!" Then when he went to school, it turned out to be a horrible day there, too.
After school he had a painful experience at the Dentist's office. Then came supper, & he said, "We had cauliflower for supper, & I hate cauliflower! And on TV all I saw was huggin & kissin, & I hate huggin & kissin!"
"Then my bath water was too hot, & I got soap in my eyes, & I lost my marble down the drain. When I went to bed, Nick took back his pillow that he said I could have. And my Star Trek night light burned out, & the cat decided to sleep with Nick & not with me.”
“All in all," He said, "it was a Horrible, Terrible, Not Good, Very Bad Day"
Is it any wonder then that when Alexander finally came to the end of that day, he heaved a sigh & cried, "I think I'll just have to run away"?
B. Have you ever felt that way? Almost all of us have had days of anxiety & stress, & we need to learn how to deal with them - to grow up & become mature.
As I read the scriptures I find no instant formula for spiritual maturity. A lot of people are searching for one. They just want to have an experience or say a prayer, & have instant spiritual maturity. But it doesn't come that way!
Growth & maturity come through experiencing & overcoming the stresses & strains that come our way in seeking to live the Christian life.
ILL. Some years ago Thomas Hobbs of the Univ. of Wash. & some fellow sociol¬ogists published their research on Human Stress. They listed many of the common experiences of life, evaluated their impact on our mental & emotional well being, & rated them according to the stress they produced in our lives.
This stress rating was expressed in what they called "Life Change Units, or LCUs." The worse the stress rating, the higher the LCUs.
For instance, going through a divorce was rated at 73 LCUs. Being pregnant was 40 LCUs. Remodeling a house was 25 LCUs. The stress of Christmastime was rated as 13 LCUs. On & on went their list of life's stresses, each one rated in LCUs.
When we learn of a friend who is dying of some disease; or when your doctor tells you there is something questionable in your X ray; or when our children grow up & leave home; or we sell our house & move away; or we change jobs, or we retire. These are all LCUs!
We are constantly being bombarded by LCUs, & the conclusion of the researchers was that if, within one year’s time, we experience a cumulative total of more that 300 Life Change Units, most people will not be able to handle it.
They concluded that if we experience that many LCUs in one year's time that most of us will have either a physical or mental or emotional breakdown because, humanly speaking, we just can't cope with that much change.
But notice that I said "humanly speaking," & I emphasize the word "humanly," because our trust in God can make all the difference in how we are able to handle the things that may happen to us in life.
C. Now with that in mind, turn to Psalm 46. There must have been times when the writer of this psalm felt like he was in a pressure cooker & couldn't get out. So he wrote the words of this Psalm as he sought to deal with the stresses of his life.
Listen to the first verse, "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble." The Hebrew word "trouble" that he used means "pressed down." Do you remember the old saying, "Between a rock & a hard place?" That is the kind of pressure the Psalmist is talking about.
When you are "between a rock & a hard place," then turn to this Psalm, because it ministers to us in a most amazing way.
ILL. When Martin Luther was surrounded by enemies he read this Psalm & then wrote the great hymn, "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God." He saw the tremendous power of God as "a bulwark never failing." Regardless of what happens in the world there is still the strength & power & might of God.
PROP. Let me give you a brief overview of this Psalm & then we'll look at it in a little more detail. There are 3 Sections.
Vs's 1-3 deal with changes in nature, & the Psalmist says, "I will not fear! God is my refuge & my strength, & even though the world around me may be shaking, I will not fear!"
Vs's 4-7 speak of changes taking place in society. The Psalmist says, "I will not be moved! Even though nations are falling apart, & even though society is deteriorating, because God is my refuge & strength I will not be moved!"
Finally, in the last few verses, 8 11, it is almost as if the Psalmist sits back after everything he has seen in society & in nature & says, "I will not let stress ruin my life anymore! I'm going to relax, change gears, trust God, & get on with living in accord with His Will."
I. I WILL NOT FEAR!
So let's look at Psalm 46:1-3. “God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble.”
“Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, and the mountains quake with their surging."
During the past 30 years, earthquakes & tsunamis have increased at a phenomenal rate. Geologists point to the San Andreas fault, & predict that one day a large chunk of western California will fall off into the Pacific Ocean. They say that the Pacific rim volcanoes are ripe for a major eruption.
And what about the hurricanes that lash our coasts, the tornadoes that sweep across our states, the blizzards that paralyze our cities, the drought that shrivels up & cracks our farm land, & the floods that wash away bridges & homes? Some are beginning to cry out in fear, "What is happening in our world today?"
But as Christians, how should we react to all this? The Psalmist says, "I will not be afraid. My Lord is still in command of the winds & the waves & the sea, & all of the elements of nature. Therefore I will not fear. God is my refuge & my strength."
II. I WILL NOT BE MOVED!
Now look at vs's 4-7. "There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.
“Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; He lifts His voice, the earth melts. The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress."
Here he pictures nations in an uproar, kingdoms falling, of great changes taking place. It sounds like today, doesn't it?
ILL. For some of us who are a bit older, it is hard to read this passage without thinking of Elvis Presley. He started out making $14 a day as a truck driver.
On a fluke he made a recording that caught the ear of a promoter. And it wasn't long until he was the highest paid male entertainer in the world.
His adoring public called him "the King." And when he died, the airlines were clogged with people trying to get to Memphis, TN. Five tons of flowers were sent to his funeral. People lined the streets just to catch a glimpse of his coffin on its way to burial.
Elvis once said, "I would give a million dollars for one week of peace." He recorded a song that probably described his life, "All Shook Up." "I am all shook up," he sang.
So is our world. Nations are in an uproar. Mankind seems to be falling apart. But we, as Christians, don't have to be.
We can stand steadfast because God is our refuge & our strength, & because Jesus is King of Kings & Lord of Lords. He is the same yesterday, today, & forever. And as Christians we stand strong in the faith & commitment that we have in Jesus, who is our Lord.
III. I WILL NOT BE FILLED WITH STRESS ANYMORE!
Then it seems that the Psalmist sits back & looks at all the changes that have taken place & he reflects on them with these words in vs's 8 & 9,
“Come & see the works of the Lord, the desolations He has brought on the earth. He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; He breaks the bow & shatters the spear; He burns the shields with fire.” (Psalm 46:8-9)
Then in vs’s 10 & 11 he says, “‘Be still, & know that I am God; I will be exalt¬ed among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.’ The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.” (Psalm 46:10-11)
Do you realize what the Psalmist is saying? He is saying, "In the midst of it all I have decided that I will no longer let my life be filled with stress & anxiety." Why? Because "God is my refuge & my strength."
I wonder if we have forgotten how to relax? How long has it been since you sat down with your family & ate a meal together, & then after the meal just talked & visited & had fun?
How long has it been since you took a long walk in the evening, & watched the sun set? Or sat in a hot tub of water & read a whole chapter of a book without interruption? How long has it been since you just leaned back & relaxed & listened to some good, wholesome music? How long has it been?
How long has it been since you just spent a day & got away from it all? You took your wristwatch off & forgot what time it was & did what you wanted to do, when you wanted to do it?
Someone said that 3 words can summarize how most of us spend our lives "hurrying," "worrying," & "scurrying." It's time for us to take the Psalmist to heart, to "Be still, & know that I am God."
IV. THREE GREAT TRUTHS WE CAN DRAW FROM THIS PSALM:
Now let me close by pointing out 3 great truths that we can draw from this Psalm:
A. #1, God is always near & available to us. God never puts us on hold. We may be on hold on the telephone, on hold at the red light, on hold in the post office line, & on hold at the supermarket.
But God is always available & anxious to hear us whenever we want to speak to Him. Some of our problems may be superficial, but others are deep, & God can help us. So talk to Him! Then listen to Him through His Word & learn from Him!
B. Secondly, God's power is greater than anything in all this world. Greater than winds or storms, or earthquakes, or volcanoes. There is no greater power. God's power is sufficient to win the victory over all the enemies that come our way.
The Psalmist tells us again that "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble." So don't be afraid to ask for His help.
C. Finally, God's help works even when we can't help ourselves. Have you felt weak lately? Have you felt like there are too many stresses, too many LCUs in your life, & that you're about ready to explode? God's help is avail¬able, & all you have to do is reach out for it, & grab hold.
INVITATION: If you're here this morning without Him as your Lord & Savior, please realize that He wants you to come to Him, accepting His love, receiving His forgiveness, & becoming a part of His family. Will you come as we stand & as we sing?
