Leave the battle to The Lord

Isaiah 41:10 NIV

10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Jeremiah 29:12–13 NIV

12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

John

John 10:14 NIV

14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—

John 10:27–28 NIV

27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.

Psalm 46:10 NIV

10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

1. This Psalm was written after Hezekiah had prayed and God sent one angel to destroy 185,000 Assyrians.

2. This Psalm teaches us that whenever Disaster strikes and it seems that all hope is lost, that God can handle, in His

will, in His own good time and way, things which seem like total disasters to us.

3. Many times-A person is searching for the will of God in their life.

a. They have Ambitions, Goals, and Dreams.

b. Question is What Am I to do with My life.

c. Answer---God has a Plan for each Life--Be Still and Know that God will Reveal His Plan at the Right Time.

4. Many Times--Problems arise, delays comes, detour signs appear.

a. We Worry How are We going to Accomplish Our Goals.

b. Answer---God Specializes in Miracles IF WE GIVE IT TO HIM.

c. Just Like Moses and Israel at the Red Sea--STAND STILL AND SEE THE SALVATION OF THE LORD!

5. The first phrase of Verse 10 is important. It is about the hardest thing a person can do. We are prone to talk, to

defend ourselves, to justify our failures, and to condone our defeats. But the Psalm is clear, "Be still, and know

that Iam God."

a. "Be still" means to "get quiet and sit tight."

As christians its good to remind ourselves form time to time that we serve a God who is with us. One of the interesting comparisons so far is that we serve a God who is both transcendent and imminent.

What that means is this: He’s big enough to control the universe, but he’s close enough to fellowship and know us. There is never a moment that we are alone. The God of the universe is with us!

Points

The world around us can be a unpredictable, chaotic place This Psalm gives us images about chaos that sometimes happens on the earth:The earth giving wayMountains falling into the sea And the chaos and anger of the ocean’s wavesAs Floridians we’ve been through some hurricanes The weather here is unpredictable Illustration: I remember as a kid we had an ice storm. We went to bed at night and we were sleeping and all of a sudden we hear a loud “Boom!” Walk outside and see a very large elm tree that was in our front yard is now sitting in our driveway. The weight of the ice and brought it down. Power lines were down all over the city. We were without power for 2 or 3 weeks. The world looked like chaos Like a war zone. The world around us is often like this - Broken and chaotic. This Psalm gives us images about chaos that sometimes happens on the earth.

It then goes on in verse 6 to talk about the chaos of the nations:

The nations are in chaos

Their kingdoms are crumbling

We see this today:

Political scandal and economic crisis

Turn on the news and you can see the nations are in chaos.

Read a paper and look around - The nations are in chaos.

We see all of these things at work around us Natural disasters, disease, nations at war - We are familiar with all of these things.And even in our own personal lives - There is a bit of chaos from time to timeFamily troubles Troubles with the kids Dealing with parents who are agingWe are aging Trying to get through school - It can be chaos! Trying to get the kids through school Trying to keep peace in our homesMany of you in this room are at a stage in your life where things seem to be unpredictable and changing rapidly - and there is a certain sense of adventure to that - but there can also be a certain sense of fear of the unknown.

We see all of these things at work around us

Natural disasters, disease, nations at war - We are familiar with all of these things.

And even in our own personal lives - There is a bit of chaos from time to time

Family troubles

Troubles with the kids

Dealing with parents who are aging

We are aging

Trying to get through school - It can be chaos!

Trying to get the kids through school

Trying to keep peace in our homes

. Many of you in this room are at a stage in your life where things seem to be unpredictable and changing rapidly - and there is a certain sense of adventure to that - but there can also be a certain sense of fear of the unknown.

In the midst of unpredictability and chaos we are called to “Be still and know.”

God is our refuge

God is our source God is our strength

We can make it through the chaos of life by learning to “Be still and know.”

When all around us is Chaos, There is a place of safety - God is our Refuge

A source of strength, - God is our Strength

A fountain provision and joy - There is a river whose streams make glad

How do we make it through - By learning to be still and know. By learning to be still and remember that He is our refuge and strength.

In closing, I want to read , some scholars believe that this was the origin of

NLT1 After this, the armies of the Moabites, Ammonites, and some of the Meunites declared war on Jehoshaphat. 2 Messengers came and told Jehoshaphat, “A vast army from Edom is marching against you from beyond the Dead Sea. They are already at Hazazon-tamar.” (This was another name for En-gedi.) 3 Jehoshaphat was terrified by this news and begged the Lord for guidance. He also ordered everyone in Judah to begin fasting. 4 So people from all the towns of Judah came to Jerusalem to seek the Lord’s help. 5 Jehoshaphat stood before the community of Judah and Jerusalem in front of the new courtyard at the Temple of the Lord. 6 He prayed, “O Lord, God of our ancestors, you alone are the God who is in heaven. You are ruler of all the kingdoms of the earth. You are powerful and mighty; no one can stand against you! 7 O our God, did you not drive out those who lived in this land when your people Israel arrived? And did you not give this land forever to the descendants of your friend Abraham? 8 Your people settled here and built this Temple to honor your name. 9 They said, ‘Whenever we are faced with any calamity such as war, plague, or famine, we can come to stand in your presence before this Temple where your name is honored. We can cry out to you to save us, and you will hear us and rescue us.’ 10 “And now see what the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir are doing. You would not let our ancestors invade those nations when Israel left Egypt, so they went around them and did not destroy them. 11 Now see how they reward us! For they have come to throw us out of your land, which you gave us as an inheritance. 12 O our God, won’t you stop them? We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help.” 13 As all the men of Judah stood before the Lord with their little ones, wives, and children, 14 the Spirit of the Lord came upon one of the men standing there. His name was Jahaziel son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite who was a descendant of Asaph. 15 He said, “Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehoshaphat! This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. 16 Tomorrow, march out against them. You will find them coming up through the ascent of Ziz at the end of the valley that opens into the wilderness of Jeruel. 17 But you will not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the Lord’s victory. He is with you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out against them tomorrow, for the Lord is with you!” 18 Then King Jehoshaphat bowed low with his face to the ground. And all the people of Judah and Jerusalem did the same, worshiping the Lord. 19 Then the Levites from the clans of Kohath and Korah stood to praise the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud shout. 20 Early the next morning the army of Judah went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. On the way Jehoshaphat stopped and said, “Listen to me, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be able to stand firm. Believe in his prophets, and you will succeed.” 21 After consulting the people, the king appointed singers to walk ahead of the army, singing to the Lord and praising him for his holy splendor. This is what they sang: “Give thanks to the Lord; his faithful love endures forever!” 22 At the very moment they began to sing and give praise, the Lord caused the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir to start fighting among themselves. 23 The armies of Moab and Ammon turned against their allies from Mount Seir and killed every one of them. After they had destroyed the army of Seir, they began attacking each other. 24 So when the army of Judah arrived at the lookout point in the wilderness, all they saw were dead bodies lying on the ground as far as they could see. Not a single one of the enemy had escaped. 25 King Jehoshaphat and his men went out to gather the plunder. They found vast amounts of equipment, clothing, and other valuables—more than they could carry. There was so much plunder that it took them three days just to collect it all! 26 On the fourth day they gathered in the Valley of Blessing, which got its name that day because the people praised and thanked the Lord there. It is still called the Valley of Blessing today. 27 Then all the men returned to Jerusalem, with Jehoshaphat leading them, overjoyed that the Lord had given them victory over their enemies. 28 They marched into Jerusalem to the music of harps, lyres, and trumpets, and they proceeded to the Temple of the Lord. 29 When all the surrounding kingdoms heard that the Lord himself had fought against the enemies of Israel, the fear of God came over them.