Praise the Lord for the beautiful music we had this morning.
• I believe this is the first time we have so many musical instruments, being played at the same time in this sanctuary.
• It reminds me of the psalms in the Bible. The psalmist often says let us make music to the Lord with musical instruments.
Psalm 33:2 “Praise the LORD with the harp; make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre. 3 Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy.”
• Why? For we have a good God. Verse 4: “For the Word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. 5The LORD loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love.”
King David of ancient Israel organises the musicians and singers as they gather in the Temple of God, to play music and give praise to God.
• The Levite clans were trained in music and they use different instruments like cymbals, lyres and harps (cf. 1 Chron 25:6) to make music, similar to what we are doing today.
• The instruments may be different, the sounds they make are different, but together they harmonise and become beautiful music to our ears.
And with music, people sing. King David organises “four thousand are to praise the LORD with the musical instruments I have provided for that purpose.” (1 Chron 23:5)
• David himself is a great singer. 2 Sam 23:1 says he is “Israel’s singer of songs.”
• Why do they want to make music and sing? They sing to praise God. They sing to give thanks to God because God is good. They sing to celebrate God’s love and His mercy.
This morning, we want to take a look at one of the songs they sing – Psalm 46.
• We do not know how they sing this – whether it’s a major or minor key, fast or slow, but we do know what they sing about. Let’s read Psalm 46.
The psalms are not just nice songs; they flow out of the people’s life experiences.
• The Israelites sing of their experiences with God and their relationship with Him.
• In the light of what the psalmist wrote, he was apparently facing some trouble. The nation was at war and facing an enemy.
• But God saved them, and he wrote it into a song.
The word “Selah” means rest or pause, so this psalm has 3 stanzas and each tells something about our God.
• 1st - Natural disasters, changes that we cannot control – God is our refuge
• 2nd – the city where the psalmist and his people dwell in and God is with them.
• 3rd – God helped them to gain victory in their war against the enemies.
The first stanza tells us: (1) GOD IS OUR HELP, DO NOT FEAR
The psalmist says, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”
The reason a refuge is needed is because of fear. It’s a place we hide from danger, a place of protection.
• When the unexpected happens, when things look bad and hopeless, the emotion that fills our heart is fear.
• We fear because we lose control. We fear because we are not in control, of our health, our finances, our future. The fact is we are never in control actually.
With God, we need not fear. “…though the earth can give way, the mountains fall into the sea, and the waters roar and foam, and the mountains quake.”
• These are all descriptions of natural disasters. They are beyond us. You have no control over them. There is nothing we can do.
• This is how we feel when life gets too difficult, when we are overwhelmed by our troubles.
The world we live in changes every day. It has changed, and it will continue to change.
• Where can we find security in life? In God! We need to return to the One who is in control. When we are in trouble, there is always someone we can run to.
• God is our “ever-present help in trouble, therefore we will not fear…”
• We can face life with God’s help. We don’t have to do it alone.
• With God, we can have peace in our heart and rest for our soul. Our security is in God, not in this world.
The second stanza tells us: (2) GOD IS WITH US, STAY STRONG
The Psalmist describes in verse 4 that there is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the Holy Place where the Most High dwells.
• The city of God, Jerusalem, has no river. The psalmist deliberately uses this description to express that God is like a river of life and joy to the city.
• Ancient cities survive on the river. For Jerusalem, God is that life line.
The psalmist says in verse 5 says “God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.”
• God is not outside. God is on their side. If God is for us, who can be against us?
• Twice, the psalmist says, verse 7 and 11, “The Lord Almighty is with us…”
He experienced God’s presence. That gave him hope and strength.
• He was confident not because the city has huge walls or strong gates, not because they were seasoned warriors or had great weapons, but because God was there.
• That makes all the difference for him and for Israel.
That will make all the difference in our lives today. Our security is in God’s presence and not in the circumstances.
• The situation may be difficult, but God is the strength of my heart.
• That’s the song we sing - Ps 73:25-26 “Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. 26My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
• Safety does not depend on the absence of danger. It is found in God’s presence. Today, we are secure in an unsafe world because God is with us.
Finally, in the last section, the psalmist tells us: (3) GOD IS ALMIGHTY, TRUST HIM
The psalmist says in verse 8: “Come and see the works of the Lord.”
• 46:10 “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
• Ultimately, God will triumph over the evil one, the good will triumph over evil, truth will triumph over falsehood. God wins ultimately.
The Bible says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” (Rom 8:28).
• God works in all the situations of our lives to bring about His good.
• Not necessarily what WE SEE as good, but what He sees as good.
Many today lived life relying only upon their own strength.
• It’s like this missionary who has to push his car to start it each time he stops.
A missionary Jackson has a car that would not start without a push. It was passed down to him by the missionary who served before him.
He devised a plan. He would park his car by the school near to his home. Each time he needs to go, he would get some students from the school to push his car off.
As he made his rounds, he would either park on a slope or leave the engine running. He used this ingenious method for two years.
After two years, a new missionary came to the mission post to take over Jackson. Jackson proudly began to explain his arrangement for getting the car started. The new man began looking under the hood. Before the explanation was complete, the new missionary interrupted, “Why, Bro Jackson, I believe the only trouble is this loose cable.” He gave the cable a twist, stepped into the car, pushed the switch, and to Jackson's shock, the engine roared to life.
Jackson has been using human strength to push the car all this time. The power was there all the time. The only problem is that it was not connected.
Many today struggle through life on their own strength. They do not know God. They are disconnected from His love and strength.
• “The Lord Almighty is with us”, the psalmist says. Our security is in His power, not in our own strength.
• We can be secure in an unsafe world because our security is in God and He is with us today. I like to close with this true life testimony:
Susan became blind at the age of 33 due to a medical misdiagnosis. She was suddenly thrown into a world of darkness, anger, frustration and self-pity. And all she had to cling to was her husband, Mark. Mark was an Air Force officer and he loved Susan with all his heart.
When she first lost her sight, Mark watched her sink into depression and was determined to help his wife gain the strength and confidence she needed to become independent again.
After a few months, Susan felt ready to return to her job but how would she get there? She used to take the bus but was now too frightened to get around the city by herself. For two weeks Mark, in military uniform and all, would accompany Susan on the bus, to and from work each day. He taught her how to rely on her other senses, specifically her hearing, to determine where she was and how to adapt to her new environment.
Finally, Susan decided that she was ready to try the trip on her own. They said good-bye to each other and went their separate ways. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday... Each day on her own it went perfectly, and Susan had never felt better. She was going to work all by herself.
On Friday morning, Susan took the bus to work as usual. As she was paying the fare to exit the bus, the driver said, "Boy, I sure do envy you."
Susan was surprised. "Why envy a blind woman?"
Curious, she asked the driver, "Why do you say that you envy me?"
The driver said, "It must feel good to be taken care of and protected like you are."
Susan had no idea what the driver was talking about, and again asked, "What do you mean?"
The driver answered, "You know, every morning for the past week, a fine-looking gentleman in a military uniform has been standing across the corner watching you as you get off the bus. He makes sure you cross the street safely and he watches until you enter your office building. Then he blows you a kiss and walks away. You are one lucky lady."
Susan was very touched. Although she couldn't physically see him, she felt his presence. Her husband has given her a gift - something she didn't need to see to believe - the gift of love!
That's our God. He cares about us. He is watching over us to protect us. He is present with us to help us. He is God Almighty, but we need to trust Him.
God loves you so much, that He is willing to come into this world.
• Jesus Christ came to seek and save the lost. We are lost today without God.
• He has come so you and I would have a chance to know Him, and to know that we are loved and cared for.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (Jn 3:16-17)
• Put your trust in Jesus today, and you’ll be greatly blessed.
• Our sin is forgiven and we have a wonderful and meaningful life in Christ.
May His Word bring an encouragement to all of us today!
