“Soul Talk: What’s Living Together All About?”
Ps. 46
We never really know someone until we live with them day after day. Just ask roommates who first met each other on a piece of paper and thought they were a good match – until they lived together day after day. Just ask the starry-eyed young couple who fell head-over-heels in love, got married, and watched their bubble burst as they lived together day after day. Ask Jesus’ disciples who thought being with Jesus would be such a great thrill, only to find out you really don’t know someone until you live with them day after day. The disciples never did understand what it meant to live with Jesus day after day – until Pentecost. Then they got a handle on what living together was all about.
It’s been an issue for all of God’s people through all the ages. The Psalmist, in fact, bares his soul about living together with God. In Ps. 46 he proclaims that living together involves, first, A FOCAL POINT. In verse 4 we see his focal point.
THERE IS A PLACE – God has always been in the midst of His people. He was present in a pillar and cloud as He led them through the wilderness. In the temple He met them for worship. In the tabernacle He was enshrined as the law to follow.
But there was another place; the Psalmist referred to it as “…the city of God.” The city refers to JERUSALEM. Jerusalem was ultimately the place where the Jews gathered for worship festivals, to learn, to declare the greatness of God and to pledge their loyalty to Him. Jerusalem was where God was present in all His splendor and glory.
Yet this earthly Jerusalem points to an even greater place. The “city of God” is a major theme throughout Scripture and points beyond Jerusalem. It has its culmination in the new spiritual Jerusalem. This is A SYMBOL OF HEAVEN, WHICH HAS BEEN PREPARED BY GOD as the final dwelling place of the saints. All the other places will be gone and will have lost their significance; but this is the city for which Abraham looked, “the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God” (Heb. 11:10).(1) It is the city for which we also long.
We long for it because it is “…the holy place where the Most High dwells…”, the place where God will always have A PRESENCE. “The LORD Almighty is with us…” Notice the change: We do not need to go to a special place; He is the God who is present in the place where we His people are. The ‘Lord Almighty’ is the Lord Joshua met (Josh. 5:13-14): “Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?” “Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the LORD I have now come.” The Psalmist’s ‘LORD ALMIGHTY’ IS THE COMMANDER OF THE LORD’S ARMIES, and He is with us. Remember the Psalmist, last week, in Ps. 139? “I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there. If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me”.
And the Psalmist said that this God, this Spirit, this Commander, is the One who is with his people. In fact, the Hebrew word ‘with us’ is immanu the root word for Immanuel. Recall the words of Isa. 7:14 – “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” In Matthew 1:23 we hear the name again. “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). The virgin Mary gave birth to Jesus who was “Immanuel - God with us.” IN JESUS, IMMANUEL, GOD IS ALWAYS PRESENT WITH US. Through His appearances after His resurrection, Jesus communicated that God is with us, and always will be. God lives together with us. The focal point is the place where God is – and the place where He is, is with us. That’s what living together is all about.
An old man told this story. “Many years ago a little boy lay in his small bed. Before going to sleep he moved in the direction of the large bed in which his father lay and asked, ‘Father, are you there?’’ And the answer came back, ‘Yes, my son.’ I remember that boy turned over and went to sleep without a thought of harm. Tonight that little boy is an old man of seventy, and every night before going to sleep he looks into the face of his heavenly Father and says, ‘Father, are you there?’ And the answer comes back, ‘Yes, my son.’ Then he rolls over and goes to sleep without fear.” (2) That’s what living together is all about.
In addition to a focal point living together involves A FIRM PROVISION. “There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God…” THERE IS A SOURCE for this life together. It is the river. To put it in context, Jerusalem had no natural river, so her enemies knew that if they could cut off the water supply Israel would either surrender or die of thirst. What their enemies did not know, however, was that Hezekiah has diverted a major spring through a conduit into a reservoir inside the city’s walls. They would not die of thirst or need to surrender. GOD’S PEOPLE HAD A RIVER OF LIFE.
This, too, appears elsewhere in the Bible. In the days of King Ahaz, Isaiah (8:1-10) compared an Assyrian invasion to an overflowing river; but he reminded the Jews that their God was like a quiet river (Shiloah) and would bring them peace.
The river symbolizes the channel by which God pours forth rain from His heavenly storehouses – rains and water which bring life and health wherever they flow. The river in Eden which went out from the garden and parted into four heads. In Revelation 22:1-2 we find the water of life: “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.” The river is a source of fertility, nurture, and hope.
God's people have always depended on the hidden spiritual resources that come from God alone. GOD IS THE RIVER, THE SOURCE OF LIFE. All three persons of the Trinity are referred to as the river. In Jeremiah 2:13 God THE FATHER IS THE RIVER: "For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water." God THE SON IS THE RIVER, the fountain of salvation: Zechariah 13:1 - “On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity.” Jesus claimed this for Himself when He said in John 4:13-14: “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” GOD THE SPIRIT IS THE RIVER: (John 7:38) “Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”
The Psalmist was pointing forward to Pentecost. The significance of Pentecost was that God is not only with us, but now He, the source of life, is in us. NOT ONLY ARE WE IN THE PLACE WHERE HE DWELLS; BUT WE ALSO ARE THE PLACE WHERE HE DWELLS. That’s why Paul could write that the great mystery of the ages was revealed through “Christ in us, the hope of glory.” (Col 1:26-27). In 1 Cor. 6:19 (GNT) he wrote “Don't you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and who was given to you by God?” As we heard from Acts 2:17, Peter preached “In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.”
No wonder the river “make(s) glad the city of God…” THE RIVER IS ALWAYS REVIVING AND NOURISHING US – GIVING US LIFE. The river brings us the sustaining, refreshing blessings – indeed the very life – of God. 'The streams make glad'—with refreshment for parched, thirsty souls and satisfaction for thirsty desires; with grace and love for sinful, broken hearts; with truth for doubting hearts; with peace for troubled hearts; with comfort for sorrowing hearts; with companionship for lonely hearts. And the gladness is so abundant it overflows. As Jesus said, “Out of him 'shall flow rivers of living water.' The Holy Spirit not only brings refreshment and gladness to us, but also flows out from us for the refreshing and gladdening of others. That’s what living together can do – it’s what it’s all about.
The firm provision provides the source of our lives, and also SECURITY for our life together. So the Psalmist drew several portraits of God. First he said, “GOD IS … AN EVER-PRESENT HELP IN TROUBLE.” God will help us when morning dawns. Because God is with us and in us, He will provide help at the right time. He helps not too soon or too late. It’s what living together is all about.
When Dr. Tony Compolo was a boy growing up in a congested and bustling city, his mother arranged for a teenage girl who lived nearby to walk home with him at the end of the day. For this, she was paid a nickel a day. But Tony rebelled in the second grade and told his mother, “I’ll walk myself to school, and, if you give me a nickel a week, I will be extra careful. You can keep the other twenty cents and we’ll all be better off.”
After a period of pleading and begging, little Tony finally got his way. For the next two years he walked himself back and forth to school. It was an eight-block walk with many streets to cross, but he was careful and didn’t talk to strangers or get distracted along the way. Years later at a family party, he bragged about his independence and reminded his family of how he had taken care of himself as a boy. His mother laughed and added the rest of the story. “Did you really think you were alone?” she said. “Every morning when you left for school, I left with you. I walked behind you all the way. When you got out of school at 3:30 in the afternoon, I was there. I always kept myself hidden, but I was there and I followed you all the way home. I just wanted to be there for you in case you needed me.”(3) Because God is with us and in us, He will provide help at the right time. He helps not too soon or too late. It’s what living together is all about.
“GOD IS OUR REFUGE…” A refuge symbolizes safety and protection; it’s a person or place we can go to and know we’re safe. Robert Louis Stevenson delighted in the story of a ship tossed in a storm. The sea was rough and the rocky coast perilous. Danger was real and the seamen were more than concerned. One frantic soldier who was laboring below the water line couldn’t contain himself any longer so he rushed to the control room and stood frozen in fright as he watched the captain wrestle with the controls of the huge ship. With his strength and skill the captain guided the vessel through the threatening rocks into open water. Then he turned and looked at the frightened sailor and smiled. The young sailor returned below the deck and assured the crew that all danger was over. When they inquired how he could be so sure, he answered, “I have seen the face of the captain, and he smiled at me.” (4) No matter what the storms of your life, “…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…” The Commander of the Lord’s armies, Jesus, Immanuel, is present – He’s in control. He’s smiling at you. He’s your focal point. It’s what living together is all about.
GOD IS…OUR STRENGTH...” The famous Boston pastor Dr. A. J. Gordon visited the World’s Fair in Chicago. In the distance he saw a man robed in bright, gaudy Oriental clothes who appeared to be laboriously turning the crank of a pump and thereby making a mighty flow of water. Gordon was impressed with the man’s energy, his smooth motions, and his obvious physical conditioning. He was pumping a tremendous amount of water. Drawing closer, Gordon was surprised to discover that the man was actually made of wood. Instead of turning the crank and making the water flow, the flow of water was actually turning the crank and thereby making him go! (5) We sang it earlier: “Did we in our own strength confide, Our striving would be losing, Were not the right man on our side, The man of God’s own choosing….Christ Jesus it is He…” (6) So Paul could write that it was not him but Christ in him. And to the Philippians he boldly proclaimed (Phil. 4:13 GNT) “I have the strength to face all conditions by the power that Christ gives me.” It’s what living together is all about.
“THE GOD OF JACOB IS OUR FORTRESS.” What a beautiful, pregnant phrase! The same God who blessed Jacob in spite of all his rebellion and made him a patriarch is our fortress! He is a God of grace who protects His own. The enemy cannot get to us; no matter what we’ve done or not done, no matter how strong our rebellion, no matter what, the enemy cannot get to us! God has the power and desire to keep us safe. “A Mighty Fortress is our God, A bulwark never failing; Our helper he amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing...” (7) It’s what living together is all about.
Dennis Byrd was a professional football player. As an up-and-coming defensive superstar for the New York Jets, he was predicted to help
turn the Jets organization around. But on November 29, 1992, the Jets were playing the Chiefs. Dennis was about to sack the quarterback when he collided with a teammate and his spinal cord was snapped. In a split-second, his football career ended. He was paralyzed from the neck down. Everything he had planned for his life came to a screeching halt. Later, he wrote about waking up in the middle of the night at Lenox Hospital in a halo brace, not knowing where he was, not knowing why he couldn't move, not knowing what was happening. Suddenly, he went from dreaming of making it to the Pro Bowl to hoping he could someday hold his daughter in his arms again. From a worldly perspective, Dennis was no longer able to reach his potential. But in God's eyes, Dennis Byrd is capable of much more than sacking quarterbacks. In God's eyes, Dennis Byrd is capable of giving him glory, and Dennis has done that in a tremendous way. The world watched and listened as Dennis Byrd told the media that Christ was his source of comfort in his time of tragedy. The doctors announced to the media that Dennis may never walk again, and it would be years before they would know. Dennis told the media that with God's help, he would walk again—soon. Less than one year later, on opening day of the 1993 football season, millions of television viewers watched Dennis Byrd walk out to the middle of the Meadowlands Stadium while 75,000 fans stood cheering in ovation. The miracle in Dennis Byrd's life is not that he broke his neck and walked again.(8) The miracle is that the injury that destroyed his career didn't destroy his life. That’s what happens when we live together with the Spirit of God.
IT’S NOT WHAT HAPPENS TO US BUT WHAT HAPPENS IN US. “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.”
That’s what living together is all about.
But only the person who can say, "The Lord is the strength of my life," can say, "Of whom or of what shall I be afraid?" (9) Is the Lord the strength of your life?
O Holy Spirit, teach us how to live together. Inspire all our thoughts; pervade our imaginations; suggest all our decisions. Lodge in our will’s most inward citadel and order all our doings. Be with us in our silence and in our speech, in our haste and in our leisure, in company and in solitude, in the freshness of the morning and the weariness of the evening; and give us grace at all times to rejoice in your mysterious companionship. In the name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen. (10)
(1) Boice, J. M. (2005). Psalms 42–106: An Expositional Commentary (p. 390). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.
(2) By Still Waters, Scottdale: Herald Press
(3) Morgan, R. J. (2000). Nelson’s complete book of stories, illustrations, and quotes (electronic ed., p. 378). Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.
(4) Robert Louis Stevenson, from Nelson Price, Farewell to Fear, Broadman Press, Nashville, TN, 1983
(5) Morgan, R. J. (2000). Nelson’s complete book of stories, illustrations, and quotes (electronic ed., pp. 441–442). Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.
(6) Martin Luther, A Mighty Fortress Is Our God
(7) Ibid.
(8) Steve May, www.Sermonnotes.com – from Preaching Today.com
(9) Alexander McClaren, Christian Reader, Vol. 32, no. 3. – from Preaching Today.com
(10) A Guide to Prayer, Reuben P. Job& Norman Sawchuck, The upper Room, Nashville, TN.,© 1983 by The Upper Room. P. 23 – from A diary of Private Prayer by John Baillie
