Be Still
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Intro: As christians its good to remind ourselves from time to time that we serve a God who is with us.
Intro: As christians its good to remind ourselves from time to time that we serve a God who is with us.
In my sunday school class we are doing a comparative study of other religions and world-views. We are laying out all the world-views on the table and comparing them with Christianity.
One of the interesting comparisons so far is that we serve a God who is both transcendent and imminent.
What that means is this: He’s big enough to control the universe, but he’s close enough to fellowship and know us. There is never a moment that we are alone. The God of the universe is with us!
Psalm 46 is a good reminder of this. It is said that this was Martin Luther’s favorite Psalm. During the dark and trying times of his life he would sing it. We know his version by the title “A Might fortress is our God.”
Tonight, It’s the middle of the week. Some of us have had a good week, some a terrible week, and some of us its been a mixed bag. One of the things I love about midweek service is that it provides a moment for us to come aside out of the business, hectic week, and to be present with God and with one another. It is a reminder - Right in the middle of things - That we are not alone.
Tonight, It’s the middle of the week. Some of us have had a good week, some a terrible week, and some of us its been a mixed bag. One of the things I love about midweek service is that it provides a moment for us to come aside out of the business, hectic week, and to be present with God and with one another. It is a reminder - Right in the middle of things - That we are not alone.
Text: I want to read a Psalm this evening, I’m not preaching - Just to remind us of this truth.
Let’s look at Psalm 46
For the choir director: A song of the descendants of Korah, to be sung by soprano voices. 1 God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. 2 So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea. 3 Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge! Interlude 4 A river brings joy to the city of our God, the sacred home of the Most High. 5 God dwells in that city; it cannot be destroyed. From the very break of day, God will protect it. 6 The nations are in chaos, and their kingdoms crumble! God’s voice thunders, and the earth melts! 7 The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress. Interlude 8 Come, see the glorious works of the Lord: See how he brings destruction upon the world. 9 He causes wars to end throughout the earth. He breaks the bow and snaps the spear; he burns the shields with fire. 10 “Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.” 11 The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress. Interlude
A Few Things to notice in this Psalm:
The world around us can be a unpredictable, chaotic place
This Psalm gives us images about chaos that sometimes happens on the earth:
The earth giving way
Mountains falling into the sea
the chaos and anger of the ocean’s waves
As People Who live on the coast we’ve been through some hurricanes The weather here is unpredictable
Illustration: I remember as a kid we had an ice storm. We went to bed at night and we were sleeping and all of a sudden we hear a loud “Boom!” Walk outside and see a very large elm tree that was in our front yard is now sitting in our driveway. The weight of the ice and brought it down. Power lines were down all over the city. We were without power for 2 or 3 weeks. The world looked like chaos Like a war zone.
It then goes on in verse 6 to talk about the chaos of the nations:
The nations are in chaos
Their kingdoms are crumbling
We see this today:
Political scandal and economic crisis
Turn on the news and you can see the nations are in chaos.
Read a paper and look around - The nations are in chaos.
We see all of these things at work around us
Natural disasters, disease, nations at war - We are familiar with all of these things.
And even in our own personal lives - There is a bit of chaos from time to time
Family troubles
Troubles with the kids
Dealing with parents who are aging
We are aging
Trying to get through school - It can be chaos!
Trying to get the kids through school
Trying to keep peace in our homes
. Many of you in this room are at a stage in your life where things seem to be unpredictable and changing rapidly - and there is a certain sense of adventure to that - but there can also be a certain sense of fear of the unknown.
In the midst of unpredictability and chaos we are called to “Be still and know.”
God is our refuge
God is our source God is our strength
We can make it through the chaos of life by learning to “Be still and know.”
When all around us is Chaos, There is a place of safety - God is our Refuge
A source of strength, - God is our Strength
A fountain provision and joy - There is a river whose streams make glad
How do we make it through - By learning to be still and know. By learning to be still and remember that He is our refuge and strength.
In the midst of all the madness and chaos, we are called to come aside, be still, and remember that God is in Control.
I LOVE THE WAY THE MESSAGE PUTS VERSE 10
10 “Step out of the traffic! Take a long, loving look at me, your High God, above politics, above everything.”
Tonight, that’s the invitation - In the midst of a world that has gone chaotic - we step out of that and into this space where we set our focus on God and remember that he is in Control.
The chaos begs us to find a solution to it - But the solution is remembering that he is in control.
The chaos begs for us to respond to it - But the response is to remember that he is in control
As we continue to worship tonight, may you be refreshed in his presence and remember that he is the on in control.