Be Still and Know - Psalm 46:10
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Intro:
Intro:
Good morning.
This morning I would like to turn to my favorite Psalm — Psalm 46.
I will begin by just reading it, and then we will hone in on my favorite verse of my favorite Psalm.
As we read this, put yourself in the shoes of the Psalmist.
Put yourself into the shoes of the one whose world is falling apart.
Or put yourself in the shoes of the one who faces turmoil.
… Who no longer has a home to go to.
… Or who has just lost his spouse, or a parent, or a child.
Put yourself in the shoes of the one who has just received a terminal diagnosis (By the way, we’re all “terminal” eventually, aren’t we?!).
And put yourself in the shoes of the one who just has a lot on his plate.
And when we do that exercise, we quickly find out that that’s ALL of us at some point in our lives, isn’t it?!
I as your preacher needed this Psalm this past week — Perhaps you did as well!
Maybe you’ll need it this week! Or maybe the next.
But the fact is that this Psalm is in here for a reason, and it is UNIVERSALLY needed, so let’s read it!
God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
Though its waters roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah
There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High.
God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.
The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved; He uttered His voice, the earth melted.
The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah
Come, behold the works of the Lord, Who has made desolations in the earth.
He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariot in the fire.
Be still, 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 refuge. Selah
9. My favorite verse in this Psalm?
a. Well, I love all of them!
b. But my absolute favorite has to be verse 10:
Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!
10. Let’s think about this very deeply if we can for the next few minutes for the rest of our time this morning, breaking down the first part of Psalm 46:10 into two main points — “BE STILL,” and “KNOW THAT I AM GOD.”
Be Still:
Be Still:
I want to share with you something very personal, but I think it will make a helpful point for all of us.
Perhaps one of my greatest struggles in my life is that sometimes I cannot seem to get out of my own head!
Anybody else ever feel like that? … (Pause and see if anyone raises hand). ...
It can be a real struggle!
Now, admittedly it can be a blessing and a curse, and here’s what I mean:
I like to think, and boy do I think a LOT!
As a preacher, that comes in handy!
Sermon ideas,
Bible class ideas,
What can I do to help this situation, or that?
Etc.
That’s a BLESSING!
But what about the curse?
I’m always THINKING about those things!
Does the human mind ever need to rest?!
(Yes)
JESUS Himself talked about the importance of REST!
Mark 6:31 “And He said to them, “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.”
Perhaps many of us think about the topic of REST from the standpoint of resting the body? (For sure!)
For me, often times it is — No, I don’t need to rest my BODY; I need to rest my MIND!
… So I absolutely LOVE going out into nature and actually physically exerting myself on a HIKE, or kayaking, or camping, etc.
And I’m sure many of us feel the same way!
We need to be able to rest our MINDS!
Have you ever met a HYPOCHONDRIAC?
A hypo-WHAT?!
A hypochondriac! (I’m sure you’ve heard of this, even if we don’t use that term very often!)
A hypochondriac is “a person who is abnormally anxious about his health.”
Another definition for this says it is a person “excessively and unduly worried about having a serious illness.”
“Hypochondriacs become unduly alarmed about any physical or psychological symptoms they detect, no matter how minor the symptom may be, and are convinced that they have, or are about to be diagnosed with, a serious illness.”
Do you know anybody like that? Do you share a ROOM with anyone like that?! Are YOU that person?! ;)
Well, if that’s you or someone you know, let me remind you again of this:
Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!
6. Here are a few N.T. passages to consider as well:
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ. Now if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer. Or if we are comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.
And our hope for you is steadfast, because we know that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the consolation.
7. Now let’s notice the second main point …
Know that I Am God:
Know that I Am God:
Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!
Plain and simple, God is God, and we are not!
God is in control! God has His will, and we should accept it!
Now, let me be careful here:
The Bible does not teach fatalism.
That is, the idea of “fate,” that every single action and outcome is already set in stone.
That’s more in line with Astrology than Christianity!
Calvinism is a form of fatalism, essentially, because it teaches things like “unconditional election” and “irresistible grace,” among other things.
That said, there IS such a thing as the Sovereignty of God!
NOT the way the Calvinist understands it!
According to the Calvinist Westminster Confession of Faith 3:3-7, it is supposed that “By the decree of God, for the manifestation of His glory, some men and angels are predestinated unto everlasting life, and others foreordained to everlasting death. These angels and men, thus predestinated and foreordained, are particularly and unchangeably designed; and their number so certain and definite, that it cannot be either increased or diminished.”
It further states that “For the glory of His sovereign power over His creatures” (God ordains) “them to dishonor and wrath for their sin, to the praise of His glorious justice.”
In other words, it is claimed that God in His SOVEREIGNTY arbitrarily decided for a few to be saved, and the vast rest of humanity to be lost, for the praise of His glory.
But there are manifold problems with that reasoning:
For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
6. In other Words, God WILLS (He desires) for all men to be saved … but that doesn’t mean all men WILL be saved!
7. Let’s prove that definitively — 2 Pet. 3:9
The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
8. God is NOT WILLING that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance!
9. Luke 13:3
I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.
10. THEREFORE, very logically and Scripturally we see that God WANTS all mankind to “repent and be converted” (Acts 3:19) so they will not PERISH, but there are many (most in fact) who WILL NOT REPENT; therefore, they WILL perish!
11. I say all that to say this — We can get off our soapbox about Calvinism now I think — But THAT SAID, God IS STILL sovereign in the CORRECT understanding of that term!
12. And if God doesn’t WANT something to happen that’s contrary to His will, something like a natural disaster, a sickness outbreak, problems at work, or whatever the problem may be …
13. If God doesn’t want something to happen, does He have the power to make sure that that DOESN’T HAPPEN through His Providence?! (Yes!)
14. If God DOES want something to happen, does He have the power to make sure that HAPPENS through His providence? (YES!)
15. And so then we think about verses in our Bible such as:
But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.
16. And Romans 8:28
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
17. And Esther 4:13-14 (As Mordecai is giving courage to Esther to speak up on behalf of the Jews) …
And Mordecai told them to answer Esther: “Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews. For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”
18. God’s PROVIDENCE at work in the lives of men!
19. … And God’s Providence is often at work in our lives as well, whether we realize it or not!
Conclusion:
Conclusion:
SO … What can we do to get out of our own heads?
To quit worrying?!
To sleep better at night?! (Ref. Awake at Night by Glenn Colley)
To stop being that hypochondriac that we mentioned earlier?
Or to get rid of any other impediment that is holding us back from fully trusting God?!
Some suggestions:
Get out in God’s creation and just appreciate Him, Worship Him!
Read, study, and meditate on God’s Word!
And just as a song in our songbook says, “Ere you left your room this morning, DON’T FORGET TO PRAY!”
That’s it! Those are three simple steps that I have for us this morning that can help us when we are feeling overwhelmed!
Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!
8. (Invitation).
