A Mighty Fortress

A Mighty Fortress

Psalm 46:1-11

The tittle of the message this morning is “A Mighty Fortress” Because that’s what God is and that’s what this Psalm is about.

It’s about having confidence in God no matter what is going on in the world around you.

The story of Job is the oldest in the Bible. It’s the story of a man who catastrophically loses everything he has in one moment.

In an instant, Job lost his children, his home, and his farm. And three of his friends came from a great distance to try and console him. They sat with Job for seven days and listened to him weep, until finally Job broke the silence.

He said, “the thing that I feared most has happened to me.” That is something that each one of us has thought about.

What if the thing we fear the most happened to us? What would we do? How would we survive?

That’s what I think about when I see the images of parents who lose their children in school shootings, or from fentanyl overdoses.

Life can change in a moment. In a blink of an eye our world can be turned upside down by things we have no control over.

The loss of a loved one, a diagnosis from a doctor, a natural disaster and all sudden things can never be the same again.

At some point we all face circumstances more than we can handle. It’s for those moments that God gave us Psalm 46.

What this Psalm teaches us is, we can have confidence in God no matter what is going on in the world around us.

Psalm 46 NASB95

For the choir director. A Psalm of the sons of Korah, set to Alamoth. A Song. God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; Though its waters roar and foam, Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. Selah. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, The holy dwelling places of the Most High. God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. The nations made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered; He raised His voice, the earth melted. The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah. Come, behold the works of the Lord, Who has wrought desolations in the earth. He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariots with fire. “Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.

In our passage this morning we have a song of confidence in God’s protection. It was written by the sons of Korah, who were Levites responsible for leading worship in the temple.

The sons of Korah served as priests during the time of Hezekiah the King of Jerusalem. This Psalm was written while Jerusalem was under attack by the Assyrians.

And the desperate language of the Psalm; the earth changing, the mountains crumbling, and the oceans roaring, speaks of a people who are looking to God for help.

It’s a song of confidence and strength in the face of fear. It’s a song of trusting God when you are starring down overwhelming circumstances.

God doesn’t promise us we will not go through difficult situations in life. But He promises to be our refuge and strength no matter what we face.

That’s the message of this Psalm. We can have confidence in God no matter what is going on in the world around us.

The first thing I want you to see in this passage is His Power, Vs. 1-3

The Psalmist begins by telling us of God’s power. He is our safety and security from devastating circumstances.

Vs. 1 says, “God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.”

The word “God” here, is not the typical use of the word “God” in the Old Testament. Usually the word “God” in the Old Testament is Jehovah. But here in Psalm 46 it’s “Elohim.” Which means God Almighty.

It’s the same word used in Genesis 1:1 where it says, “In the beginning God (Elohim) created the heavens and the earth.”

This is intentional because what the Psalmist wants us to know is the same power that created the world is the power we turn to as our source of strength.

Also, I want you to notice the verb tense in Vs. 1; “God is our refuge and strength.” Not God was, not God will be, but God is.

That means right here, right now, no matter what you are going through, God can give you strength to overcome. He can give you courage to face your fears.

The word refuge here means a place to flee to for safety, and security from the elements, and the word “strength” describes the inner fortitude God gives us in the face adversity.

When things happen in life, we don’t have any control over, we can fold, or we can put our trust in God.

In fact, there are times in life you cannot put your trust in anything else, because nothing else can help. You can’t trust a job, you can’t trust a house, you can’t trust your skills to get you through, but God is there, and He is ready to help us, in a time of need.

Notice the second part of Vs.1. He is “A very present help in trouble.”

He is not just help, but a very present help. That means, He is closer to us than the trouble itself. He is closer to us than our closest friend.

This gives us an image of a bodyguard who is there ready to defend you, even take a bullet if necessary.

And that’s important because what good is help if it is not around when you need it.

Hebrews 13:5 says, “He will never leave us, He will never forsake us.” God is our all-powerful ever-present help when we need Him.

Do you know what that means church? We don’t have to be afraid. Notice Vs. 2, “Therefore, we will not fear.” Why would you fear? Fear is the opposite of faith.

Fear paralyzes us, it prevents us from moving forward, but faith sets us free. Faith makes us ready to face every challenge in life. And when you have faith in a God who loves you, you don’t need to be afraid of anything.

1 John 4: 18 says, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.” And we have a God who love us and helps us overcome our fear.

Now, that doesn’t mean we are never going to face difficult situations. Sometimes God shields us from trouble and sometimes He causes us to stand and face it.

Look at Vs. 2-3. “Though the earth should change, though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea. Though it’s waters roar and foam, though the mountains quake at its swelling pride.”

The image here is describing some of the most incredible circumstances the world has ever seen: earthquakes, and tsunamis and raging seas.

But I want you to notice the word “though.” He repeats it 4 times. In other words, “even though these things happen,” we don’t have to be afraid.

Disasters might shake the earth to its core, but none of those things are going to shake our God.

A sailor in a shipwreck was thrown upon a rock where he clung in great danger until the tide went down. Later a friend asked him, “Jim, didn’t you shake with fear when you were hanging on that rock?” “Yes, but the rock didn’t shake,”

and that’s important because Christ is the Rock we cling to when we face danger in life, and it doesn’t matter what is going on in the world He is not shaken.

I want you to notice the word “Selah” at the end of each stanza in this Psalm. Because the word “Selah gives us our application.

Normally we don’t pay any attention to that word. Most of the time we don’t even read it. We know the word “Selah” is a musical break. A chance for the singers to catch their breath before they begin again.

For us, it is a chance to reflect on God and what’s been said. But how fitting is that for this Psalm?

I think there are times in life when things happen when all we can say, “Selah.” There are times that all we can do is pause and take a breath, not overreact to our circumstances.

We need to recognize, we can have confidence in God because of His power.

The next thing I want you to see in this passage is His Presence. Vs. 4-7.

We know the city of Jerusalem was under attack, and surrounded by the Assyrian army when this Psalm was written, and today we are surrounded by enemies on every side, but God’s presence is with us.

Vs. 4 says, “There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God.”

The“city of God” is a reference to Jerusalem, but it’s important to understand that the Psalmist isn’t talking about the brick and mortar here. He is not talking about the buildings and the streets. He is talking about the people of God. They are made glad by His presence.

Throughout the Bible the river is an image of the presence of God. For example, In Genesis 2:10 there was river that flowed out of Eden to water the Garden of God.

In Psalm 23 the Lord our Shepard leads us beside the still waters. In John 7:38 Jesus said he who believes in me out of him will flow rivers of living water and in Revelation 22:1 there is a river in heaven flowing from the throne of God.

What a contrast this is from the waters that roar and foam in Vs. 3. We have a quiet river of peace that comes from God. We have a river that brings us joy in spite of our circumstances.

I think about the Apostle Paul who was in a Roman prison cell wondering if he would live or die and he wrote to the Philippians 4:4, “rejoice always and again I say rejoice.”

I think about Jesus on the night before He was crucified in John 15 :11 said, “These things I have spoken to you that My joy may be in you and that your joy may be made full.”

There is a supernatural joy we can have as believers in spite of our circumstances. In fact, the mark of a true Christian is the peace they have no matter what they are going through.

I think about times I have been with families in the hospital who were losing a loved one.

And I one side of the room you will see confusion and chaos. People who are beside themselves, cussing and arguing with nurses and staff.

And on the other side of the room there will quiet saints of God praying for their loved one. What a difference in what the world goes through in a time of trial and what a believer goes through in a time of trial. (My dads funeral)

There is a peace of God that surpasses all understanding.

Vs. 5 teaches us two important truths I don’t want you to miss. First, God’s people are immovable. It says, “God is in the midst of her she will not be moved.”

That means every moment of everyday God is with you no matter what your going through.

The word “her” here is referring to the people of God. He is in the midst of her, His presence is with us. And because God is immovable, we are immoveable.

Not only are we immovable but we are upheld. It says, “God will help her when morning dawns.” When morning dawns refers to the break of day. It describes a time when the city is most vulnerable for an attack.

It reminds me of December 7th, 1941, when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Or 9/11 when we were attacked in the early morning hours.

There are times in our life when we are most vulnerable to the enemies attack. Times when we feel like giving up and giving in. It is in those times we need to cling to God. God can be our greatest strength if we will let Him.

You see, the enemy can threaten us, but God has the final word; He gets the last laugh. Because when He speaks, He drowns out all the other voices in the world. If He choose to, He can speak, and the earth will melt.

And because God is in control of all things, the sons of Korah could sing with confidence this refrain we see in Vs. 7 and 11.

“The Lord of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold.”

The Lord of hosts is speaking of the armies of heaven who are fighting on our behalf. And the word “stronghold” gives us the image of a castle with iron gates of safety and security.

Let me ask you this, does that describe your relationship with God? Is He your fortress? The one you rely on when you are facing your greatest fears?

We can have confidence in God because of His presence. The next thing I want you to see in this passage is

His Sovereignty. Vs. 8-11. The Psalmist invites us to come and see for ourselves what God can do.

Vs. 8 says, “Come, behold the works of the Lord.

Most scholars believe this is what was written after the Hebrews walked out of Jerusalem and saw what God did to the Assyrian army.

God devastated the enemy. He gave them a victory they could have never won on their own. Yet they didn’t even have to fight. God took care of it for them.

They called on the name of the Lord when they were under attack and God answered their prayers. And we too need to call on the Lord today.

The Psalmist says, “Come and see what God has done.” And we need to see what God is doing today.

God is still at work in the world. Working in the lives of His people, rescuing them, and delivering them today. Intervening in their lives and doing amazing things.

But not only is God at work in the lives of His people but He is at war on our behalf.

Notice Vs. 9, “He makes wars to cease to the ends of the earth, He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariots with fire.”

How does God cease the wars? By defeating His enemies. And what we find here is when God goes to war, He takes no prisoners. He puts it to an end. And there is no army that can stand against God.

Please don’t misunderstand, this is not saying that God causes all war to cease. What this is saying is that God is the sovereign victor over everything.

I mean read the book of Revelation. When Christ returns, He will conquer His enemies once and for all.

He will break the bow, cut the spear, and burn the chariots. And while he is doing that, what will God’s people be doing?

Being still and knowing that He is God. Look at Vs. 10 “Cease striving and know that I am God.”

We are given two commands here we need to follow. We are commanded to cease, and we are commanded to know. In other words, be still, and be sure.

Being still is one of the most difficult things for us to do, especially when we are facing trials. We want to fix it. We want to take matters into our own hands.

But the word “cease” here literally means to stop it!! Or settle down. God is under control.

You stop worrying. You stop taking matters into your own hands. Cease trying to be your own Savior. Proverbs 3:5 says, Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding.”

Let me ask you this, What are you worrying about? What do you need to just cease striving from? God says, stop worrying about it and start trusting Me with it.

And then we are commanded to know “He is God.” That is more than just believing in the existence of God. We need to know Him.

We need to know Him in our heart. We need to know Him in our soul. We need to know that He is on the throne, and He will work this out. He Has a plan. There is no panic in heaven only God’s plans.

Then He strengthens this statement at the end of Vs 10 “I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted in the earth.” In other words,“I am the one who is going to win the victory.

Conclusion

We do not have to wait for the return of Christ for Him to rule over life. God is on the throne and can be exalted over your situation right now.

What this Psalm teaches us is; we don’t need to know how the circumstances are going to work out, all we need to know is who is going to work them out and that is God.

God wants to be in your life. He wants to be your strength, your security, your refuge.

We do not have to live our lives in fear, because Jesus offers us peace. Peace with God, peace with in ourselves no matter what we face.

We are surrounded by a world of chaos, confusion, and turmoil. But we can have confidence in God because of His power, His presence, and His sovereignty. He is available to all who call on His name.