God Is For Us: Part II

Introduction

Last week we saw God’s character, in that He is our protector, defender, and helper. We saw who God is.

This week we see what God does.

-Have you ever bought something before, maybe an “As Seen on TV” product, and you got it out of the package only to find out it didn’t do what it said it would do?

-Verse 1 gives us a description of God. Verses 2-3 prove to us that what Hezekiah is saying is true! Aren’t you thankful that everything that is said about God in His Word is true?

Today we are going to look at Three Truths contained in this passage that show us that our God is for us.

God Is Greater Than Our Circumstances (v. 2-3)

There’s several different things going on in these verses. It talks about the earth being removed from its place. Mountains being swallowed by the sea. Waters roaring and rumbling. And the earth quaking and shaking.

How many of you would agree that if all that was happening at once, there would be chaos? People would be anxious. They would be troubled.

If you remember from last week, the word trouble in verse 1 has the idea of constricting, taking away breath. This would cause someone to be overwhelmed.

Have you ever felt overwhelmed with life? At times it feels like the very ground your standing upon is being taken from under you.

And sometimes the things that you’ve always expected to be a constant in your life can be just like those mountains, they can crumble at an instant.

But I would challenge you with this, God is greater than our circumstances. When you lose someone you love. When your health diminishes. When trouble just keeps brewing.

You can rise above your circumstances or you can be buried by them.

-Story of the two frogs in the buttermilk.

You may not be able to control your circumstances, but you can control how you react to them. You can react in the right way when you understand God is greater than what you are facing.

God is sovereign over all. There’s a lot of different definitions for what sovereignty means, but I like to use this simple one. God being sovereign means God is God.

Why can you have joy in what you face? Why can you have a smile when there’s a lot of things that could cause you to frown? How can you not let the trials you face not suck the life out of you?

You understand that God is fully in control and aware of your situation.

Fear Does Not Have to Control Our Lives (v. 2a)

Hezekiah wrote this psalm in response to the nation of Assyria that was planning on attacking his nation. War would be something that would strike fear in the hearts of many. But for Hezekiah, he would not fear.

Fear is a choice. If I’m fearful about something, it’s because I chose to be fearful.

2 Timothy 1:7 KJV 1900

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

Don’t get me wrong, fear can be a good thing. If I’m standing at the edge of a cliff, it is fear that holds me back from jumping off the edge.

Perpetual fear is sinful. When fear controls your spirit, your decision making, your soul, that’s when there is a problem.

Fear happens when we take control of our situations instead of letting God have control over them. Fear happens when we ask the question, “How can I fix this? How am I going to change this?”

Faith says, “God I’m trusting in you. You are in control.”

The Reason that We Do Not Have to Fear (v. 1)

The first word of verse 2 is very important, the word “therefore.” Therefore is in reference to verse 1. God is our refuge, strength, and help, and because of that we don’t have to fear.

Even if our world is turned upside down, we can find a calm from this verse, knowing that God is truly who He says He is.

Conclusion

The way we can have this assurance that God will be who He says He is, is to make sure that we are first of all His child. The most important decision you could ever make is to trust Christ as Savior.

Preach Gospel.

After you become a child of God, God will be your heavenly Father. He loves you and wants what is best for you. Just like I want to protect my children and be a help to them, God wants to do the same with us.

Are you His child today? Do you have that personal relationship with God? If so, you don’t have to fear, you can display faith even in the most difficult situations, knowing He is ever faithful.