Our Refuge and Strength

Intro

Pastor Rick Mylander once told this story

On my way to a conference in Colorado, i was driving uphill along a major interstate when I overtook a freight train going the same direction at a slower speed. The train was being pushed uphill by two locomotives that sounded as if they were straining at full power: I’m a flatlander from the Midwest. Is this how trains move in mountainous terrain? I wondered.

A few minutes later, I gradually came alongside the front of the nearly mile-long string of cars. There I found five more locomotives pulling the train. Seven engines in all! Where I come from, I rarely see more than three.

That train was a lesson for me. I had been under serious strain for some time. I was feeling tired and was wondering whether I could persevere under the pressure.

How like God, I thought. When I am pushing a load uphill with all the strength I have and feel like my energy level is depleted, he wants me to know that he is in the lead pulling with power far greater than mine.”

As a church, we had ad a tough week.

loss and pain, many questions

Our strength may be depleted, our resolve, not as fast

So we lean on the one who is stronger than we, our God, our strength, our refuge

Our refuge (1, 11)

A place of solis, a place of protection and peace

a place you go to get away, to restore and renew

(HS shop class)

IN our world of chaos, heartache, and loss

we need a refuge

Psalm about seeking God in difficult times, the enemy is approaching but knowing God is there for us

God is our refuge (1)

God is here for us (11)

our stronghold

our place of strength, that cannot be penetrated or overtaken

When you feel lost, hurt, pain, heartache, attacked, vulnerable

God is your refuge, your stronghold

He did not create, then flea

Do not fear, I am God (2, 10)

Fear is overwhelming

an emotion that controls, takes over every part of your body

fear will stop an action, even before it begins, even as it is just a thought

fear overwhelms rational thought, belief, and reason

blocks it out

that why Bible says we must conquer fear

Our fears

going on in our world, fear of loss, fear of uncertainty, fear of reaction

Psalmist says even if the world falls apart, earth changes, mountains fall into the sea

we will not fear

Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

I am God (10)

stop striving, stop trying to fix along

I am God

I will be exalted above all nations

I am God

I will be exalted in the earth

I am God

He is far greater than any fear, He is on your side, He is God!

Do not fear wherever is hurting your heart. for He is God

From desolation to peace (3-4, 8-9)

In midst of destruction and desolation

when our world is upside down and gone to pieces

emotionally spent, physically exhausted

all we see is the hardship of life all around us

He brings peace

come behold the works of God

brings war to stop

breaks the tools of the enemy

Even in the floods of trouble

a river brings life’s water to all the city, enriching it, and bringing it life

He nourishes and brings peace

In your moments of fear, your times of heartache and pain

He is our source of Peace

God in the midst (5, 7)

that dwelling place that he nourished with rivers of peace

our hearts, she will not be moved

as a ship tossed by waves, the anchor holds her in place

as a heart beaten by loss, sickness, and hurt, it will not be shaken, it will not be lost to the enemy

our stronghold is God, our refuge is the creator of the universe

He is with us

never leaves, never forsakes

He raised his voice (6)

everything can be in turmoil, upside down and falling apart

fear taken over our minds and hides our heart

then something amazing happens

God speaks

Mt. Sinai mountain quaked and smoked

Jesus calms the storm

fear overtook them, but he raised his voice

You may feel your world crumbling

you may not understand how things get so bad so fast

feel the end is near

Go to God, he is your refuge, your stronghold

Psalm 121 A Song of Ascents. I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; From where shall my help come? My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel Will neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD is your keeper; The LORD is your shade on your right hand. The sun will not smite you by day, Nor the moon by night. The LORD will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul. The LORD will guard your going out and your coming in From this time forth and forever.

Conclusion

You are not alone

you don’t have to be alone

you are struggling alone, trying to make it alone

“Cease striving and know that I am God”

He wants to be your strength, hope, peace

he demonstrated that by coming and dying in your place

bore your sin, sorrow, and shame for you.