Quiet with God

Quiet with God

Psalm 46

Theme: God shows us the importance of being quiet before Him.

Welcome to the 43rd Anniversary of Mountain View Baptist Church! We thank God He established this church 43 years to honor Him and give out the gospel. We would love to connect with you so please be sure to stop by the Welcome Center before you leave today so we can meet you or answer any questions.

Welcome to each of you on this beautiful Lord’s Day. If we can help you in any way, please feel free to contact us.

In a world where there is constant noise, where can you go to be in silence? Silence and solitude can be comforting at times in our lives. Noise brings stress to our lives. Some love camping because of the quietness of the forest, some love going to the lake, because there is the calmness of the water, and others hike in the mountains to a quiet spot for a time of reflection. However, the reality sets in when we go back to the noise of the phone alerts, calendar reminders, text messages, phone calls, the engine of the car, the helicopter flyovers, the sirens, and a host of other noises. The more noises, the more distracting it becomes to live out life.

In Psalm 46, God is teaching us the importance of disconnecting with the world and connecting with God.

This is more than likely the time God delivered Jerusalem from the Assyrians in the time of King Hezekiah. This was probably written by the King himself under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit at the time of victory. Please notice the plural pronouns (our, us, we) are intended to draw our attention upward to God.

The emphasis here on the presence of God in our lives which gives us courage through the difficulties of life.

In the middle of life’s events, God shows us we need to be quiet before God. There should be a stillness before Him v.10. This should become a priority in our life.

God gives us some reminders of who He is in our lives.

Reminder 1 . . .

God is our refuge

When we take time to be still, we are to look upward to see who God is. When we come to church sing the songs and seek God in prayer, we are looking upward. Could it be the reason people don’t attend church is because they don’t want to look upward? To look upward means our troubles and problems are not taken care of by us or by others. Mankind thinks he can take care of his issues without God so he doesn’t have to give up his sin.

We have to surrender to God who alone is able to be our refuge. A refuge is a shelter, verse 7 and 11 it means a “stronghold, high tower, or fortress.” God is the only dependable refuge in a world that has gone awry. In a world that is ruined by sin and falling apart, God is our only hope.

Too many are spending their lives hopelessly looking for something that will bring satisfaction to them on this side of heaven. There are many substitute Saviors.

“We have been specifically designed so that only an infinite God can truly meet all of our needs: emotional, relational, moral, intellectual.” (Klaus Kissler-Wasting Time With God, p. 28)

“You have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.” (Augustine)

Life begins when we accept Him as our personal Savior. If you have never accepted Him, would you be willing to ask Him today to forgive you of your sin, and to be your Savior. We are born sinners in a sinful world. Jesus came to this sinful world to die on the cross for us. He shed His blood paying the penalty for our sin. God is our refuge from the judgment of sin. When we turn from our sin and unto Christ, we are given a new life found only in Jesus Christ. Would you accept Him today? Would you let Him be your Savior?

When I look up to Him, I am saying God there is nothing here or in me that can take care of the world I am in, only You can.

Jerusalem has been under attack and as the people prayed, God delivered them. They knew their situation was impossible and they needed God to deliver them. He is the only refuge to go to.

A present help in time of trouble. The word trouble means tight places, in a corner and unable to get out. Have you ever been in a tight place of trouble and unable to get out?

We are in all in spiritual trouble without Christ and He wants to be your refuge. Religion won’t get you of trouble, your good works won’t get you out of trouble, your church membership won’t get you out of trouble, only God can get you out of trouble.

So many are tempted to retreat to other places where God is saying, be still and know that I am God. God’s name is mentioned five times here. The name for God here is Elohim. It is a plural of majesty as all powerful. The same name for God when spoken of as the creator.

God is saying you don’t have to look to something who will not be able to care for your difficulty and your problem and your setbacks. He is our refuge: our protector and sustainer through life itself.

God shows us in verse 10, we are to be quiet before Him. In the middle of busyness of activities, in the warfare of a nation, and in the challenges that come with living in a broken world, we are to be quiet before Him. This should be a daily occurrence. During this daily occurrence of bowing quietly before Him, it points us to the ultimate power. There is no nuclear power, no political machine, or manmade strength greater than His power. He is in the end your ultimate stabilizer.

Reminder 2. . .

God is our confidence

Be still means to take our hands off. We would rather keep our hands on our life and manage our life. God is asking for surrender. Will you take your hands off and let God be God?

“Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: Fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, Because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.” (Psalm 37:7)

It is very interesting how we allow the noise or sounds of the world drown out our stillness before God. Noise robs us of strength, energy, and relationships.

“For thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: And ye would not.” (Isaiah 30:15)

“There was a man several years ago, who starting coming to church. His mother has been praying for him because he was running from God. He used noise to hush God working in his life. He turned on the TV when he started the day, he drove to work with the radio blasting, at work in his noisy plant, they played music, and on his way home he blasted out more music. TV was always on at his house until one day the power went out. The first silence he had to “tolerate” and God began to remind him of his mother. God reminded him of the prayers of his mother and the Bible verses she had sent him on his birthday cards and Christmas cards. The silence was more than he could bear. This was the first time in his life, he had to face the reality of his relationship with Jesus Christ. The sounds of the world had drowned out the truth in his life and he could no longer stand living without Christ. He came to church and soon accepted Christ. The day he accepted Christ and when he went to bed, he had the best sleep he could ever remember.

Perhaps the noise of the world is drowning out your stillness before God. Some quiet times are built in our lives where we are forced to be quiet. Darkness for most brings a quiet time as we go to bed and the day ceases from its activities. Even in the middle of much noise, there is an internal place where the noise of our soul is crying out for a calmness.

God wants you to know who He is in in your life daily. He is not just God on Sunday, but He is God everyday of your life. He is there through the daily routine, He is there when you go to work, when you take your kids to activities, when you go to school, when you come home, and when you face impossible situations.

Elijah needed to learn the quiet before God in his life.

“And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.” (1 Kings 19:11–12)

King Hezekiah learned this in the quiet times in his life

“Now therefore, O Lordour God, I beseech thee, save thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LordGod, even thou only.” (2 Kings 19:19)

Satan will try to keep us busy or noisy or scurrying about, so we will not know how big God is. This place of calmness may be in the middle of the noise around us. God is talking about a spiritual calmness that comes when we rest in Him. We trust in Him. Our spiritual life is settled and strengthened in God Himself.

God shows us in Revelation that before His throne is a calmness, a place of quiet rest

“And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.” (Revelation 4:6)

Our busyness with even good things can be an enemy to our spiritual health and vitality. God wants us to disconnect with life so that we can connect with Him personally. How connected are you with God? Is your heart living in a state of unrest? It doesn’t have to be.

Reminder 3. . .

God is present

What does this mean to me? Please notice the name Lord refers to relationship with Him. He wants us to know Him as our Savior? If you are here today, will accept Him? Will call upon the Lord Jesus Christ to be your Savior?

If you have been saved, will you walk with Him daily? Will you spend time with Him? What God is saying is this: Are you troubled with cares? “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” (1 Peter 5:7)

Are you tired in need of spiritual rest? “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

Are you confused and do not know what to do? “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” (James 1:5)

Are you dealing with guilt? “As far as the east is from the west, So far hath he removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103:12)

Are you afraid? “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: Be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; Yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” (Isaiah 41:10)

When we pray, we can be assured of God’s presence with us as believers for every aspect of life. Today would be a great day to settle some things with God. If you sense you are away from God, guess who has moved? Will you come back to Him Christian?

If you here without a relationship with Jesus Christ, will you come unto Him today? Ask Him to be your Savior.