Just Drop It

Psalm 46

Vs. 10 from ESV = “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”

I. Overwhelmed – turmoil all around us

a. Topical sermon

b. God wants to minister to your overwhelm

c. Life often seems to come at us like a flood

d. Health, money, relations,

i. Can’t sleep, no eating right

e. Then little things seem to pick at us

f. Can I catch break

g. Vs. 3 waters roars and foams, mountains quake with turmoil

i. Vs. 6 Nations rage, kingdoms topple, the earth melts

h. Korah was most likely speaking prophetically of the world as he knew it – but has a personal application for us.

i. For some of you (and at times, all of us) the waters roar, our mountains quake and it seems as if our whole world is melting

II. Just drop it

a. Rafa means to drop it – what the CSB translates as stop fighting. Many translate as be still

b. (ESV Psalm box) This is my chaotic world – I am fighting to hang on and control it

i. Prayed, even gone to spiritual warfare over it

c. I need to drop it

i. Give up control

ii. Give up the worry and the complaining

d. Our overwhelm becomes familiar, it is safe

i. We want out of it, but we don’t know what we are walking into

1. The Children of Israel wanting to go back to Egypt

2. Canary story

ii. Our complaining gets our endorphins up – we feel powerful

1. I am angry and I want to be angry

III. The Korah Sandwich

a. Psalm 46:1-2a chaos and overwhelm Psalm 46:10-11

b. Who God is – our refuge, strength, helper

i. Always found in trouble – not sometimes, on occasion but always

ii. John 14:15-17 (ESV Helper)

c. What we need to do – stop fighting / be still

i. Know God is who he says he is

1. What he will do again – The Lord of Armies is with us

d. God says he is our refuge and helper, so when you see all the chaos around you – be still

e. We have to trust God with our chaos

i. Therefore we will not be afraid when all this happens around us vs. 2

f. God is showing how he is sovereign. Vs. 4

i. The earth trembles and mountains topple

ii. Nations rage

iii. Still the life flowing water flows

1. A place of stability

2. Genesis 2:8-14

3. Revelation 22:1-5

4. John 7:37-38

IV. Let’s get practical

a. It is easy to say – just drop it, just let go

b. It is easy for me to say – Just drop it – it is like telling someone, they just need to have more faith. As is you can just turn the faith dial up

i. Not some sort of fatalism – whatever happens is fate – I just choose how I respond to it

c. What can I do vs. what I need to get God to know

i. Clean the garage example

1. Focus on that one thing (me no sodas)

ii. Make a change in for your health, make a budget

iii. Balance of what I can do vs. letting God

d. Growth in the spiritual disciplines (Make God our refuge)

i. Prayer, word, fasting etc.

1. Prayer language not just for Sundays

ii. Worship – not just for Sundays

1. Worship as warfare

a. I focus on worshiping God and he will fight my battles – the Lord of Armies

2. Vs. 10 – God will be exalted among the nations – exalted in the earth

a. Be still is not just a command to us but also a command to the nations.

e. Gratitude – praise often comes before worship

i. Gratitude journal – just one thing before going to bed

V. God is our strength

a. His strength – not our strength

i. God’s throne is not moved or threatened by the chaos that besets us

ii. This is why worship is so important. We put our total and complete allegiance in him

iii. Matthew 7:24-27

b. Notice this whole Psalm is about what God does

i. We are told to be still –drop it

ii. Take refuge

1. You need to connect to God’s presence

a. His stability – un changeness – un movable

c. Some of you in 2023 – need to drop some things from 2022

i. May need to drop some things from 1980

ii. I know this is not easy

iii. You may still need to address some things

1. Leave the bird cage

d. Index cards at altar – Psalm 42