Cynthia Ratley (2)

In God’s grace, One the of the joys I receive as a pastor is visiting some of the older members in our congregation. I really cherish the times that I get to spend with them, and I especially enjoyed going to see Mr. Lonzo. I have some good memories of my visits with Mr. Lonzo. One of the things Mr. Lonzo and I had in common was that we both love to fish, and we have and talked about going fishing together. One day, I was over in my office, and Mr. Lonzo called and asked if I wanted to go fishing with him and of course, I said yes! I went over there and me, Mr Carl, and Mr. Lonzo went over to His pond and went fishing, and Mr. Lonzo caught more fish than I did that day.I remember coming over to Mr. Lonzo’s home one time and He told me he could play the guitar and I told him I could play too, so we went in his living room there in the front of his house and he and I played the guitar together a little while. But I think the most enjoyable times I had with Mr Lonzo was our times in God’s Word together. Last week, I stopped by and visited with him for a few minutes and I shared a passage of Scripture with him and today I’m gonna share that passage with you.

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.

​ NASB95For 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.

This passage has a common theme throughout that I believe will be of some comfort to today.

The common theme we find in this passage is the presence of God.

God is present. Everywhere. At all Times.

In fact, there is not one slither of this world that he is not there. We don’t have to wait for God to show up.

He is here. He is there.

We are limited. We have to go places in order to be present. This isn’t the case with God.

He was there before we get there and he will be there when leave, but yet he will still be with us.

David says in another

​ NASB95Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, Even there Your hand will lead me, And Your right hand will lay hold of me.

Psalm 139:7–10 NASB95

Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, Even there Your hand will lead me, And Your right hand will lay hold of me.

God is there. He is here.

The question we want to answer today is this: what is God doing where he is?

In verses 1-3, we see God is present in our trouble.He is our present refuge.

What is a refuge? (a place of trust/ a shield/ a home)

A refuge does no good if you can’t get to it.

He is our strength. Today, family, when you do not have the strength, find peace and comfort knowing that God is present and His strength can be yours. He is our present help. Even though things change.If it the earth itself were to slip into the heart of the sea. In other words, though everything turn upside down, we do not have to fear. In verses 4-7, we see that God is present on his throne in heavenI believe with all my heart that Mr. Lonzo is seeing this right now. I believe that when he closed his eyes on the earth Tuesday Night, that he opened His eyes, now having perfect sight to see The Lord. Matter of fact, Mr. Lonzo could preach this passage much better than me right now. God is present on His throne.Nothing can remove him from that throne. We see many nations change leadership, kings die, new elections bring leadership. But there is a place where the king never loses His throne or His dominion. Jesus Christ has defeated His foes. He has defeated death for us, so on days like today, we do not have to live in defeat. Verse 5-6 tells us that God is in control and no matter what happens on this earth. Wars, floods, deaths, sickness, and whatever should not frighten us. Because our king is on an immovable throne. And again, that king is with us. verse 7Lastly, in verses 8-11, The whole earth will one day recognize the presence of God. The Lord Jesus Christ is coming back for His bride. He is coming to make things right. He is coming to wipe away every tear from our eyes, but he is also coming to bring judgment on those who oppose Him and who are lost in sin. (9)I believe verse 10 is a Gospel call in the middle of the passage. I believe the Psalmist here is calling those who follow God and those who don’t follow God to the same thing. Be still (Cease striving) and know that I am God. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, BE STILL and know that HE is God.If you are an unbeliever, I want you to understand the Gospel. (Explain)To you I say today: Be still and know that He is God. trust in the Lord. Believe on him. Put your faith in him today. Cry out for Him to save you. One day it will be too late. On that day, you along with every other person who has ever lived will exalt Christ. Will you trust him today? so that you can know the truth of verse 11. Mr. Lonzo is experience the glorious presence of God right now and I believe that his desire would be for you all in here to know the Lord that He knew on earth and the Lord that He now is present with. Pray.