God Is for Us
God Is for Us: A Verse-by-Verse Study on Psalm 46 • Sermon • Submitted
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Introduction
Introduction
Much of the book of Psalm is written by King David. Throughout Psalm we are encouraged with seeing God’s character displayed and praised by the psalmist. One of the most uplifting psalms is .
It’s interesting though, is not written by David, it is believed to have been written by King Hezekiah.
When Hezekiah took reign, he inherited a mess of a nation. They had turned to idols instead of the one true living God. As a result, Hezekiah did what needed to be done to revive the spirituality of God’s people.
He removed the idols, cut down the groves, and reinstituted the worship of Jehovah God.
For he clave to the Lord, and departed not from following him, but kept his commandments, which the Lord commanded Moses.
Hezekiah was doing what was right, but eventually Hezekiah was met with opposition. Isn’t it interesting that even when we do right, bad things can still happen to us.
A king named Sennacherib was threatening Hezekiah that his nation, Assyria, was going to destroy his people. What would Hezekiah do? How would he handle the problem?
is written in response to the very event that happened in . This psalm speaks of the faithfulness of God and reminds us of the fact that God is for us!
Today we will look at Three Characteristics of God to remind us of who God is when we are in the midst of difficulty.
Study for historical context
Hezekiah turned over an idolatrous nation to serve God once again
Key Verse:
He would not serve the King of Assyria Sennacherib
And Rab-shakeh said unto them, Speak ye now to Hezekiah, Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria, What confidence is this wherein thou trustest?
II Kings 1
And Hezekiah received the letter of the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up into the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord. And Hezekiah prayed before the Lord, and said, O Lord God of Israel, which dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth. Lord, bow down thine ear, and hear: open, Lord, thine eyes, and see: and hear the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent him to reproach the living God. Of a truth, Lord, the kings of Assyria have destroyed the nations and their lands, And have cast their gods into the fire: for they were no gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone: therefore they have destroyed them. Now therefore, O Lord our God, I beseech thee, save thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the Lord God, even thou only.
But I know thy abode, and thy going out, and thy coming in,
And thy rage against me.
II KIngs 19:
Therefore thus saith the Lord concerning the king of Assyria,
He shall not come into this city,
Nor shoot an arrow there,
Nor come before it with shield,
Nor cast a bank against it.
For I will defend this city, to save it,
For mine own sake, and for my servant David’s sake.
II Kings 19:
So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh. And it came to pass, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons smote him with the sword: and they escaped into the land of Armenia. And Esarhaddon his son reigned in his stead.
II Kings 19:36-37
God Is Our Protector (Refuge)
God Is Our Protector (Refuge)
The word refuge has the idea of a strong tower. A place of safety from the enemy.
When you consider Hezekiah and the threat upon his nation by the Assyrians, he needed a place of safety! In the account written in , Hezekiah spreads out his problems before the God of heaven and requests His help.
The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed,
A refuge in times of trouble.
Illustration of Hide and Seek; the roof was the hiding place, safe place where no one could fine me.
God is our protector when we face opposition in our lives. Just like the hiding place was a place I could consistently go to, God is one who we can consistently run to and know He will be our refuge.
May we like Hezekiah go before God, and take our problems to Him in prayer.
God Is Our Defender (Strength)
God Is Our Defender (Strength)
It is believed that Hezekiah wrote this psalm, and in this verse he continues to describe God as his strength.
God, not only is the person we go to when trials come our way, but the great thing about God is that He has the power and strength to guide us through our difficulties in life.
See, you can run into a strong tower, but if you don’t have a defender of that tower, the enemy will infiltrate and destroy. God was going to fight on the behalf of Hezekiah.
God told the following to Hezekiah about his enemies the Assyrians:
Therefore thus saith the Lord concerning the king of Assyria,
He shall not come into this city,
Nor shoot an arrow there,
Nor come before it with shield,
Nor cast a bank against it.
For I will defend this city, to save it,
For mine own sake, and for my servant David’s sake.
Hezekiah could rest at ease knowing that God was going to work on his behalf.
There are times that I go to God and tell Him my problems. I say, “God, you know that this is going on and that is going on.” But immediately going to Him as my refuge, I continue to worry about the situation and scheme on how I can fix it.
What Hezekiah shows us here is that God is our refuge AND strength. Yes, God is who we go to when we have troubles, but also understand, God will work on your behalf as well.
What God has called you to, He’ll bring you through! He has the power and strength to get you through your problems Trust in Him. Rely on Him. Because He is our defender!
God Is Our Helper (very present help)
God Is Our Helper (very present help)
The Word trouble here has the meaning of constricting something. If you could imagine a boaconstricter and how it takes its prey and wraps around them and cuts off oxygen to whatever it is wrapped around. That is the idea of this word trouble.
This trouble refers to anxiety, worry, and depression. How many of you think Hezekiah might have had a little worry in his heart due to the Assyrians wanting to destroy him? He was a little anxious.
But even in the most troubling times where we feel as if we can’t breathe from all the stress, anxiety, and worry we’re facing, God is a very present help.
I love that word very. The Bible doesn’t just say he is a present help, but a VERY present help. He is at hand 24/7 at a moments notice. God is for us! God wants to help us.
Whether it’s early in the morning, in the afternoon, or the wee hours of the night, God is a very present help. In fact, we are commanded to go to Him in our troubling times.
Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
Philippians 4:8
Isn’t it a comfort to know that God is there whenever we need Him? Whatever is bothering you today. You can go to God, knowing that He is very present in our troubles.
trouble=to constrict, anxiety; depressed; worried
Conclusion
Conclusion
At the end of , we find that God follows through on His promise to Hezekiah. Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, dies. God came through for Hezekiah.
He was a refuge, strength, and help in his trouble. Today, God wants to be your protector, your defender, and your helper as well. May we go to Him today with our troubles as well.
