18 January 2009

Sunday 18th January 2009. Psalm 46. An Ever Present Help In Trouble. R Duncan.

This Psalm has inspired many over the centuries. Luther – “Ein Feste Burg Ist Unser Gott.”
General Sir William Dobbie, Governor of Malta from 1940. In his book “A Very Present Help” this man of God wrote “the story of the siege of Malta from 1940-1942 is rich in illustrations of God’s help and of his interventions.” Malta had to be held at all costs as it was the key to stopping Italian supplies flowing into North Africa. Rommel failed in North Africa because Malta was held – with God’s help.
(See The Trumpet Sounds for Britain, David Gardner, Vol 2, p75.)
Psalm 46 was Margaret Thatcher’s favourite passage from the bible!
We are in a time of trouble, of financial shaking. Well known High St names that we have known and held in affection all our lives are disappearing.
Businesses, jobs, pensions, savings, possibly homes are all disappearing causing great fear and insecurity.
How should we react to this as Christians? Psalm 46 has some answers.
We must face the fact that what we are facing is nothing compared with the trouble in other nations such as Zimbabwe or of Christian minority groups in places like Orissa, India and christians who have fled Iraq.

V 1 – 3. An ever present help in trouble.
Verses 2-3 paint a picture of catastrophe, collapse, convulsions and chaos.
The solid ground gives way. Earthquakes -Shetland. Mountains collapsing and the sea roaring – scary stuff.
D A Carson “All we have to do is live long enough and we will be bereaved. All we have to do is live long enough, and we will die.” How long O Lord? P 97. Pain, suffering, rejection, illness and death are part of life. Possessions, security, friends, health, loved ones can all be lost
What do you do when your world collapses? It is not easy. Testimony – Kim, September 2001.

V 1. God is our refuge and strength. David looks to God in a great statement of faith. God remains unshaken when our world is shaken. This does not imply that he is remote or unconcerned – far from it.
God is an ever present help in trouble. Each word counts and can be meditated on - refuge strength.
God is – not may be, could be, will be. He is now. Present – here now to help me / us. We may not feel it.
V 2. Therefore David makes his decision based on faith. Therefore we will not fear.
This does not mean we will feel no fear – we will. It means we have truth to hang on to and apply in times of fear. Ram Babu – “Courage is not the absence of fear. It is the overcoming of it.”
We must build our faith in the good times so that when the day of evil comes we are prepared. (Eph 6:13.)

V 4 – 6. God’s Protective Presence. The application is corporate but can be personal too.
V 4. Here is a water that contrasts with that of verse 3. This water is a source of life, refreshing and joy. Jerusalem had a hidden spring – the Gihon Spring, reached by tunnels which ensured survival under siege.
What is your source? Have you found a secret supply?
David speaks of the City of God – Zion, where the temple stood. It was the place where God’s presence dwelt. The city was secure because God was within her. God cannot fall and his city could not fall. Today, we, the church are the dwelling place of God. We are his temple made of living stones. The church is secure. The gates of hell will not overcome her. We are “Fastened to the Rock which cannot move.”
Statements of faith – God is within her. God will help her. She will not fall. Corporate promises.
Note – Exodus 33. God has at times removed his presence from his people, to further his purposes.

V 8 – 10. Be Still and Know That I am God. Be still - This is the opposite of uproar.
V 8-9. Come and see. He makes wars cease. Look at God’s past acts of deliverance in history.
God addresses the nations and their leaders. However, what does God say to us in this verse?
Be still – Hard in normal life. Even harder in the turmoil of trouble.
And know – Revelation comes in the stillness. God speaks in a still, small voice.
That I am God – The focus is on God’s sovereignty, glory, faithfulness and power. “I am in control”
I will be exalted. x 2 – God’s purposes will prevail. (Isaiah 11 : 9. Another “peace” passage.)

Conclusion. V 7 and 11. The Lord Almighty is with us. The God of Jacob is our fortress. Stirling Castle!

Robert Duncan, 24/01/2009