Unshaken by Danger
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The famous German reformer Martin Luther is famous for a variety of things. Most prominently, he is known for the 95 theses which propounded two central beliefs against the Catholic church – the Bible is the central religious authority and that humans may reach salvation by their faith and not by their deeds. This same man would go on to write one of the most famous hymns know to the Christian faith, A Mighty Fortress is Our God. The first two lines read “A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing Our Helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing”. How do we anchor our souls when the waves of life threaten to undo us? When we get hit with horrible news? When the constant emotional or physical pain won’t cease? When the dark clouds of depression continue to hover? In other words, what do we do when our present circumstances seem far too substantial and confusing for our very limited abilities and understanding? How would you respond if your whole world caved in? The Psalmist’s response was “we will not fear “. For those who feel the world crashing in around them, there are four soul-steadying reminders from Psalm 46.
God is our Protection (v.1-3)
God is our Protection (v.1-3)
We see God as our refuge and strength – a reality God’s people knew then, and now we enjoy even more deeply in Christ.
In Christ we can know that God is always for us in our suffering and uncertainty
He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
Because of Christ, the Spirit lives inside of us as a very present help in trouble
Jesus promised to never leave us or forsake us
Matthew 28:20 “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”
Psalm 46 points to that fulfillment in the spirit
When we feel like everything is uncertain
When the mountains might as well crash into the sea
The first thing we do is remember that our protection is not found in
Better circumstances
Avoiding the problems
Anything on this earth
Instead, our protection is the very present Holy Spirit and the rock-solid work of Jesus on our behalf
Which has guaranteed our help and promised that we will make it safely home to heaven.
It is against this biblical backdrop that we must hear the psalmist’s words: We will not fear, even if the earth totters (mot) into the sea, as its waves threaten to cover the mountains themselves. We will not fear, he says, even if the world as we know it—more than that, the world as God has defined it—collapses before our very eyes. I know of no more radical profession of faith anywhere in the Scriptures.
God is our Pleasure (v.4-5)
God is our Pleasure (v.4-5)
The scene suddenly shifts from raging seas and falling mountains to a life-giving river with sweet streams to make the city of God rejoice.
In this section, it is not the waters that are roaring against God’s people, it is the nations that are in such uproar.
The nations are threatening to destroy Jerusalem itself
Because of the presence of God, we will not be moved
The psalmist uses she here to discuss the city of God. He states that the people in the city rejoice in their safety within the city’s walls. Because of the presence of God , we will not be moved. God is a very present, never failing help in trouble.
Our safety and our gladness are secure.
When everything else feels like it’s impossible to enjoy
When satan threatens to undo us and rob us of all joy
We can raise our eyes and realize we are in the city of God
That God is with us
Every morning we get to wake up and know that God will still be with us
There will be new mercies every morning
Mercies will be enough for that day and mercies will not run out a moment too soon.
God is our Power (v.6-9)
God is our Power (v.6-9)
Everything the psalmist has said would be meaningless if God weren’t strong enough to make it happen
We see his strength
The entire world rages and totters
Everything conspires against you
The whole power of the world heads your direction
God stands ready to defend and address it
The psalmist notes that God responds with uttering his voice
As a result the world melts before him
The God of hosts, the God who fights on our behalf
All he has to do is speak to win the battle
As if this wasn’t enough
We are encourages to look at his works as proof
He’s brought desolations, he’s stopped wars, he’s broken bows and shattered spears
He’s burned chariots with fire
Nothing is a match for him
From this side of the cross, we can go even further
He’s sent his Son to die for our sins.
He’s raised him up again in victory
He guarantees our final victory
God’s Purpose (v.10-11)
God’s Purpose (v.10-11)
David repeats the promise that God will defend us
God promises his protection, pleasure, and power to us so that he is exalted
The truth us that each and everyone of us will have times in our lives in which we feel powerless
Where the things that surround us are out of our control
When things aren’t going well and our uncertainty and our fragile nature is exposed
God’s purpose is his glory
God promised he will glorify his name in all the earth
God promises to show that he indeed is the greatest protection
He is the greatest pleasure
He indeed is the greatest power
In Jesus, God has pledged it all to us
Jesus has taken the punishment
Now all we know is grace
When we wonder if God will continue to shelter us in his protection
Satisfy us with his pleasure
Sustain us to fight another day of uncertainty with his power
Our answer is Of course he will
His name is at stake
He is working in me to keep me and sustain me for his glory
This means that we can trust him to do what’s best for us to reach satisfaction
It means that even if his protection looks like taking everything else away
Health, comfort, convenience, friends, family, jobs or whatever
He will keep us safe in Christ
It means he will help us to make it because his name is invested in the lives of his people
There is no greater comfort for us in our pain and uncertainty
Illustration: On August 13, 2004, Hurricane Charley brought fierce destruction to areas of Florida. During the storm, 25-year-old Danny Williams went outside to seek protection under the branches of a 55-year old banyan tree. Friends and family said that the protective branches of the spreading tree had been a favorite peaceful place for the Fort Meyers man. But on that day, his place of safety became a death trap. The tree fell on Williams and killed him.
Sometimes, the places and situations we look to for protection can ultimately be the most harmful.
Conclusion: How do respond when life is uncertain? We stop. We become still. We pray. We ask for help. We remember that he is God, and we are not. We trust him to be our mighty fortress and to bring new mercies, to work his power on our behalf, whatever it takes
We remember that he is God and that he is enough. When we ask him for help, we must trust him more through the uncertainty and pain, and to give us more of himself in the uncertainty and pain