April 21, 1999

EXPLORE THE BIBLE:
God still a very present
help in times of trouble
___ Psalm 46:1-11
___By Dillard Wilbanks
___Travis Avenue Baptist Church, Fort Worth
___Psalm 46 has exerted tremendous influence in the life of Christian leaders through the centuries. The final words of John Wesley as he lay dying in London were: "The Lord of hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our refuge." This psalm's content continues to provide the necessary stamina and confidence in the hearts of Christians to face death or stand in the face of opposition.
___ An unassailable refuge (Psalm46:1-3). The first stanza declares that God is the refuge of his people. Whether or not the crisis that evokes this mediation and God's response is a specific incident or a general sense of instability and insecurity is not important. God is all-sufficient. He is our strength. His might is exerted against all foes. His presence is our refuge or shelter in the storm.
___He is very present in times of trouble or distress. No friend, relative or pastor can be as present as he. Therefore, the consequence of this confession is faith overcomes "fear." The God who is creator and sustainer of this lively planet will hold us fast through its upheavals.
___ An unfailing resource (Psalm 46:4-7). Over against the watery chaos of verse 3 is God's river, a perennial stream watering Zion (Ezekiel 47; Revelation 22:1). Within God's city, Jerusalem, is the tabernacle of the Most High. Because he lives there the city cannot be moved unless her enemies move her Lord also. Right early, at first light when the nations march against her, God is Jerusalem's security. He is never late. In our impatience, his apparent delays are for our good and his glory. In that respect, they are not delays at all.
___Like nature, history also has its chaos over which he reigns. The chaos of history becomes the cosmos of God. The God of Jacob (Israel) is ever present. As the Lord of Hosts, he who rules over his angelic servants is also the God of Israel (Psalm 102:20-22, 148:2).
___ An unbeatable rescuer (Psalm 46:8-11). The psalmist now invites us to see the works of the Lord who has made desolations (waste) and stopped wars. He who brings peace to the earth also brings peace to the heart. "Be still, and know that I am God..." To "know" God as God is to experience him intimately in the quiet of our hearts. Because of his past works, what he has done, we can know him as our present security and stability.
___God now speaks a prophetic word. "I will be exalted among the nations ... in the earth." Either by terror or love God will subdue all hearts to himself. The whole earth shall yet bow to his sovereign will and give him glory.
___We who now walk in the bright light of the Lord Jesus can in the fullest sense claim that God is with us through his indwelling Holy Spirit. In responding to his leadership we can go forward toward conquests that are more marvelous than any recorded in the whole of the Old Testament. "The Lord of Hosts" dwells within us! Jesus is Lord!

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