I’ll Be There For You

Introduction

The promise that God is with us …

I. Assures Us of a Security Greater than Any Chaos (vv. 1-3)

A. Chaos leads to fear

Chaos is unpredictable, it’s unorganized, it’s confusion.

Some people claim to thrive in chaos, but they really don’t. We don’t like chaos. We like predictability. We like organization. We like certainty. We like to be in control.

The problem is, so much in our lives is completely outside of our control. And when we begin to dwell on the chaos, we fall into fear.

What is fear?

Biblically speaking, there are two different types of fear:

Fear of the Lord

Fear of the Lord is reverential awe. It is recognizing God is so much greater than we are. It is recognizing God is so much more powerful than we are. It is recognizing we are creation and He is Creator.

The more you grow in your relationship with Jesus Christ, the deeper this fear will become. It’s not a dirty fear, it’s good and healthy for us to understand where we stand in relation to the God of the Universe.

In Psalm 19:9, we learn the fear of the Lord is clean. It’s pure, it’s holy, it’s good.

Why?

Because in Proverbs 9:10 we learn the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

Fear of circumstances

This would be what the Bible refers to when it says over and over again, “Do not fear” or “Do not be afraid.”

This fear is an unhealthy fear. This fear comes from taking our focus off our Savior and placing our focus on people or circumstances. The problem with that is people and circumstances change, they’re chaotic. But our God never changes. He is firm, He is sure, He is faithful.

That’s why the psalmist at the opening of this psalm declares God is our refuge and strength.

B. A mighty fortress is our God

When I read those first words, my mind is immediately drawn to the old hymn A Mighty Fortress is Our God, and with good reason. It was Martin Luther who authored that hymn, and Psalm 46 is often referred to as “Luther’s Psalm.”

In fact, when Martin Luther or those around him were experiencing fear, he was often quoted saying:

Let us sing the forty-sixth song in concert; and then let the Devil do his worst.

This first verse is where Luther grabs that idea from: God is our refuge and our strength.

A refuge is a place of shelter or security where you can flee to in times of trouble.

If you have ever seen the Lord of the Rings, in The Two Towers, the people of Rohan flee to Helm’s Deep, a fortress that was declared almost impenetrable.

But in this instance, there is one weakness that can be exploited.

With God, there is no weakness.

Strength denotes that God does not just provide us security as a defense, but His strength as an offense.

Knowing that God is with us, is what eliminates fear.

Notice the hymn is not “I am a mighty fortress with God”

Notice the psalm does not say “I am strong with God”

There might be some truth in those statements, but the psalm proclaims this truth: that when we experience fear, when we are weak, when we are defenseless, we can claim God’s strength and security as if it were our own.

And when can we claim this help and security?

C. Presently, at all times

How many times have you heard someone quote Matthew 18:20 which says:

Matthew 18:20 NASB95

20 “For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.”

People use this verse to affirm all sorts of things:

They use it to affirm their prayers

They use it to affirm not attending a church (a local body of believers)

They use it to affirm their decisions

The idea people get from that verse is that wherever two or three Christians are gathered, there Jesus is too.

In a sense, this is true, but the question you might ask yourself is, “What about where just one Christian is? Where is the Lord then?”

It’s a great question and it has a simple answer: the Lord is with the sole Christian just as much as He is with a body of Christians.

Matthew 18 is referring to church discipline and how church leadership is to handle sins within the church. It’s not referring to the a number’s requirement for the presence of Christ.

This security and strength that God provides is presently available at all times for believers.

D. Conclusion: we will not fear

If God is our refuge and strength, we will not fear.

The problem is our natural response to many situations is fear.

What do you fear?

The Top 10 fears people have

Fear of public speaking

Fear of open spaces

Fear of heights

Fear flying

Fear of enclosed spaces

Fear of insects

Fear of snakes

Fear of dogs

Fear of storms

Fear of needles

Some of you may resonate with items on that list. Others of you have different fears.

If you look up the top fears in America, you might find a list something like this:

Top 10 Fears in America

Corrupt government officials

People I love becoming ill

Russia using nuclear weapons

People I love dying

The U.S. involved in another world war

Pollution of drinking water

Not having enough money for the future

Economic/financial collapse

Pollution of ocean, rivers, or lakes

Biological warfare

The truth is fear is everywhere and can come from nearly anything.

If you turn on the news, or get on social media, or listen to what your kids are learning in school, or anything in your life, fear is often our response.

But it doesn’t have to be because the promise that God is with you assures you of a security that is greater than any chaos.

All throughout Scripture we see examples of this:

Remember Israel on the boarders of the Promised Land? God had told them He was giving the land over to them. But the spies returned fearful of the people and gave a false report of what they had seen. And in Numbers 13:30, despite the false testimony of the spies, Caleb says:

Numbers 13:30 NASB95

30 Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “We should by all means go up and take possession of it, for we will surely overcome it.”

Why was Caleb not concerned?

Because he knew that even though Israel was small and weak compared to these other nations, God was presently there ready to act as their strength and defense.

Remember Peter in the New Testament? In Matthew 14 we read about Jesus walking on the water. The disciples see Him, think He is a ghost, and Scripture tells us they were terrified. And how does Jesus respond, “Do not fear.” And in Matthew 14:28 we read this:

Matthew 14:28–31 NASB95

28 Peter said to Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” 29 And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31 Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”

When Peter cried out, when did Jesus respond?

Immediately.

Every year my dad would take my siblings and I to the NHRA drag races in Colorado. Load cars, smoke, food trucks. It’s awesome.

One of the unique things about the drag races is that you can actually walk through the pits and watch the crews as they work on the vehicles. The primary event is the top fuel dragsters and funny cars and after each race, they have exerted so much force on the engine that they have to strip it down and rebuild it again.

So, in the pits you can watch them rebuilding the engine, and then they have to test it. So they will fire it up, all the engineers and mechanics and technicians will monitor it and hundreds of people will swarm around to try to get a good view.

So we were walking through the pits and we heard one of the crews fire up the engine. Now, what we were looking for was what we called “popping” the engine, which is where the driver would “rev” the engine. Now, these engines aren’t normal engines. We’re talking an engine that has the equivalent of over 10,000 horsepower. So when they rev that engine, the only way that I can describe it is this electrifying feeling that fills the air.

Now, there’s thousands of people around, so it’s kind of hard to move. My dad motioned for us to follow, but I must’ve been looking at something else and didn’t notice. What I did notice was when I looked around and didn’t see a single face I recognized. I just froze, spinning in circles trying to catch a glimpse of anyone I knew. This sense of fear washed over me, but before I could do anything, these two hands reached out and lifted me up onto their shoulders.

Not only that,

The promise that God is with us …

II. Supplies Us with a Refreshing Flood of Life-Giving Power (vv. 4-7)

A. Fear becomes debilitating

Like Peter, we often place our focus on what is out of our control instead of looking to the One who can provide us with strength and security to endure.

When we do this, fear becomes debilitating. Maybe we lose energy, or we lose the ability to function, or we freeze. Like Peter, we start to sink, paralyzed by fear of our present circumstances.

B. God is a refreshing Source of Life

The psalmist imagines a river flowing through the city of God (Jerusalem).

Jerusalem is unique among many other historical cities in that it had no river.

But the psalmist recognizes that the presence of God supplied the city with the life it needed.

In Revelation, we learn when God establishes a new heavens and a new earth and a new Jerusalem, there will be a river of life flowing from the throne of God.

What does the New Jerusalem symbolize?

The culmination of God’s plan, where His people will dwell with Him for eternity.

The Psalmist recognizes that same presence supplying life to Jerusalem.

You, as the body of Christ, the Church, have that same life-giving presence now.

God is in the midst of you, now.

Like a river, the Holy Spirit, the promise of God’s presence with us, continually floods us with refreshing, life-giving power.

C. The difference between fear with God and fear without God

Just because you know God is presently with you does not mean there will stop being circumstances that cause you to fear.

The psalmist mentions nations that roar and kingdoms that totter.

In other words, it’s the shifting political landscape of the world which comes with wars, disease, famine, changing leaders, etc., and all of that trickles down to affect your day to day life.

Sometimes we can look at the state of our nation or world and think to ourselves, “It’s hopeless!” Our leaders our corrupt, our economy is in shambles, how am I going to raise a family, how will I stretch this check until next month, whatever it may be.

That’s how we respond, but you know how God responds? IN Psalm 2 we see the answer:

Psalm 2:2–4 NASB95

2 The kings of the earth take their stand And the rulers take counsel together Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, 3 “Let us tear their fetters apart And cast away their cords from us!” 4 He who sits in the heavens laughs, The Lord scoffs at them.

We often live our lives in fear over the state of the world, but God isn’t afraid. As it says there in Psalm 2, “He who sits in the heavens.” Sits where? On the throne.

No matter what we experience here, Jesus Christ is still on the throne. That’s why God laughs, because no scheme of man can ever change that fact.

There is no telling what every person in this room is going through. We’re probably somewhere between the lowest lows and the highest highs and everything in between. And no matter where you are, God is there with you. He is greater than anything you can or will experience in this life, and He is continually supplying you with a life-giving power giving you the strength to move forward.

And finally is this:

The promise that God is with us …

III. Grants Us Peace Because He is Victorious (vv. 8-11)

A. Call to mind the works of the Lord

Bring to mind the times of God’s care, His protection, and His rule

B. Survey the field of battle

Look out over the battlefield, for us as Christians the spiritual battlefield, and look at how God effortlessly takes what the enemy devised for evil and turns for good.

And if you can’t see that yet, know that it is coming.

Titus 2:13 NASB95

13 looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus,

Because when Jesus Christ returns, everything will be made right.

C. Cease striving and know that I am God

Stop. Take a breath. Chill out. And take the time to give glory to the One who is victorious. Let Him by His strength, and His security, and His life-giving power fight that battle for you and give you peace in the midst of that.

Exodus 14:13–14 NASB95

13 But Moses said to the people, “Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever. 14 “The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent.”

Conclusion