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October 27, 2019
Jason Meyer | Psalms 46:1-11
God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy habitation of the Most High.
God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;
God will help her when morning dawns.
The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
he utters his voice, the earth melts.
The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
Come, behold the works of the Lord,
how he has brought desolations on the earth.
He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire.
“Be still, 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 fortress. Selah
—Psalm 46:1–11
Introduction
I want to begin this year’s Global Focus in a text that will seem strange at first. In Genesis 26, there is a story about Isaac.
So Isaac departed from there and encamped in the Valley of Gerar and settled there. And Isaac dug again the wells of water that had been dug in the days of Abraham his father, which the Philistines had stopped after the death of Abraham. And he gave them the names that his father had given them.—Genesis 26:17–18
We are stewards of a missionary movement here at Bethlehem. That movement for missions came from a vision for missions. The heart of it can be found in the opening sentence of a seminal book on missions—Let the Nations Be Glad! that Pastor John wrote in 1993. “Missions exists because worship doesn’t.” Missions is not a humanitarian endeavor. It is not primarily a mercy mission. It is a worship mission. Worship is the goal of missions.
He also taught us that worship is also the fuel of missions. As we savor the supremacy of God in Christ together, we want that worship we have savored to spread so more and more can taste and see that he is good. We want Jesus to be the Name above every name in every language among every nation. We want the heavenly gathered choir of the redeem to grow. We want all the flock to be gathered.
We are in a unique position as a church. When Joshua replaced Moses, God said to him, “Moses my servant is dead.” When Isaac re-dug the wells, Abraham had already been gathered to his fathers.
The one who first dug the wells is still here with us. What a treasure. You know that not many of these transitions go well, right? Most of them are train wrecks. It is almost unheard of to see a story where the senior pastor stayed in the church. Bethlehem, let us not take any of this grace for granted. Let us make much of Christ and the grace that the Lord of the church has poured out on this church. We trust him in whatever transitions are yet to come. And we would pray boldly right now. I am praying that the Lord would use this message to re-dig the wells again and then the Lord will give a grace of excavation to dig deeper through John Piper than ever before. We want our mission statement not just to be on the wall but in our hearts.
Let’s start with genre and structure. Psalm 46 is a poem with three stanzas (vv. 1–3, 4–7, 8–11). One structural clue is how each stanza ends with a call to pause and consider (Selah, in vv. 3, 7, 11). In fact, the second and third stanzas end the exact same way—with the same confident and climactic confession: “The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress” (vv. 7, 11).
But there are more unifying threads to see in this poem as we examine the three stanzas in more detail. Each stanza shines a spotlight over a different sphere. The first stanza looks at nature and its seemingly chaotic and destructive power. The second stanza looks at the city of God under siege (vv. 4–7). The third stanza zooms out even further to look at the whole world and the chaotic forces at work in the nations of the world. But the main focus is not the chaos and destructive power of the world. The main theme is the celebration of God’s supreme power in ruling over these three spheres: nature (vv. 1–3), God’s city (vv. 4–7), and the whole world (vv. 8–11). Psalm 46 is poetic praise that defiantly and triumphantly declares:
Outline
God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah
The first stanza reveals the first threat to God’s people: Nature can seem to rage out of control. Our natural response in the face of such chaos and destructive power is “fear.”
Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble at its swelling.
Even if the earth gives way, even if the mountains fall into the heart of the raging sea—roaring and foaming—so that even the mountains tremble. The picture is a picture of judgment like what happened at the great flood. The floodgates were opened and the floodwaters drowned even the towering mountains.
This is an astonishing image. Earlier this month I was in Washington State. My wife and I hiked up Hurricane Ridge, and we drove up to Artist’s Point on Mount Baker. It is awe inspiring to be at the base of the mountain and drive and drive upward through winding roads. Then you get out and hike and hike and hike. The end had a lot of switchbacks; we climbed 800 feet in a short space. We got to the top and could see the ocean far below.
We sometimes talk about a flood plain and being elevated so that you are not in a flood plain. You would think the safest place to avoid a flood would be the top of a mountain. Where could you go to get higher and escape the floodwaters?
The image here is that you would not even be safe if you hiked the highest mountain. The waters once covered them all. You are not safe even if you go to the highest place.
We cannot trust in all our efforts to control the chaos or come up with contingency plans. We don’t trust in mountains or plans or action steps, we trust in the Lord our God. The Psalms tell us this truth again and again. God set the earth on its foundations so that it should never be moved (Psalm 104:5). He set a boundary and established limits for how far the chaos waters could come so that they would not cover the mountains and the earth again like at the flood (Psalm 104:5–9).
He set the earth on its foundations,
so that it should never be moved.
You covered it with the deep as with a garment;
the waters stood above the mountains.
At your rebuke they fled;
at the sound of your thunder they took to flight.
The mountains rose, the valleys sank down
to the place that you appointed for them.
You set a boundary that they may not pass,
so that they might not again cover the earth.
God’s plan provides his people with a sense of security. We know about these God-given boundaries. Experience shows us that creation seems under control— most of the time for the most part. But sometimes storms and floodwaters come with such force that it seems like creation will come apart at the seams. The chaos of creation can strike terror into our hearts and threaten our sense of security and stability. The waters roar and even the most sturdy and stable things (like the mountains) shake. But this Psalm says, “in the midst of chaos, hope in God. Remember his reign! Trust his plan!”
In fact, the next stanza shows God’s power—his rule and reign over the destructive waters.
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy habitation of the Most High.
God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;
God will help her when morning dawns.
The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
he utters his voice, the earth melts.
The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
The second stanza takes the imagery of the first stanza (chaotic waters) and moves to the image of the nations raging out of control in their rebellion against God. Notice that the roaring, foaming, stormy waters of chaos (vv. 1–3) are here transformed into a quiet, peaceful stream that gives life and joy to God’s people as they dwell safely in God’s city (v. 4):
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy habitation of the Most High.
God is the hope of his people—his presence is their peace. The mountains shake (v. 2), but God’s city will not be “shaken” or “moved” (v. 5):
God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;
God will help her when morning dawns.
This same imagery continues in verse 6. Now the kingdoms “shake.”
The nations rage, the kingdoms totter …
Therefore, notice the parallelism. In the first stanza, the waters roar or rage (v. 3) and the mountains shake (v. 2). Now in the second stanza, the nations “rage” (v. 6) and the “kingdoms” shake (v. 6). Meanwhile, the city of God is not raging, but rejoicing, not at war, but at peace—a gentle stream giving joy to the city of God. The mountains may shake and the kingdoms may shake, but the city of God will not be “shaken” (v. 5).
The nations rage like the chaotic waters of destruction; mighty stable things like kingdoms shake (just like the mountains). In our world, there is no peace with God and no peace with one another. Wars and rumors of war threaten any sense of security and stability we have. How many global partners right now struggle with this reality. Some places have such political upheaval like Cameroon that they can’t go back. Some global partners are in places where they are trying to figure out if they should buy the one-pound bag of flour or the five-pound bag of flour. Will their Visa be approved this time?
The chaos of the nations can strike terror into our hearts. The nations roar and even the strongest things (like empires or kingdoms) shake. In these moments, we do not trust in the good will of humanity. We do not trust in diplomacy. We do not trust in how well we can fill out paperwork and answer questions. When we go to different places in the world, we don’t trust in how well we can navigate the political ups and downs. God’s presence is our peace. We trust his plan and his sovereign rule and reign. We trust the power of his voice and the stability of the refuge. In verse 6 …
The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
he utters his voice, the earth melts.
The Lord speaks—one utterance of his voice— the earth and all of its rebellion now looks like a marshmallow trying to fight a flame-thrower—it just melts. Or as Luther’s hymn says from the psalm: One little word will fell our eternal foe. He just has to lift his voice. In verse 7 …
The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
The Lord of angel armies is greater than all the nations with its earthly rulers and earthly armies. God is our fortress. Now we come to the climactic hope. Where do we find this refuge? Is the psalmist only talking about the earthly Jerusalem? Do we have a refuge that is only fixed in one place so that we are limited to one location?
Come, behold the works of the Lord,
how he has brought desolations on the earth.
He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire.
“Be still, 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 fortress. Selah
The third stanza now commands us to “go” and “see” the works of the Lord everywhere in the world (v. 8). We look at the chaos and the destruction, and then we look beyond it to the One who causes it to rise and cease. God is in control. In other words, human diplomacy and the good will of the nations is not what keeps sinful hearts at bay. The lust for power and capacity for rivalry and hate are so great that it would spread out of control unless the Lord held it back, just like he set a boundary and established limits for the chaotic waters.
He is the one who brought the desolation, and he is the one who makes the wars cease. Humanity has its bows and spears and chariots, but God breaks the bow, shatters the spear, and burns the chariots. We don’t trust in horses and chariots, we trust in the name of the One who has the power to overthrow all of them.
We are not called to study the chaos but called to know the Lord. We are to know that he is God and that there is an infinite distance between the Creator and the creation. The Creator holds this world in his hand like a tiny rubber bouncy ball. And he has sovereignly planned and willed to be exalted everywhere on the planet. Look at the exact words in this climax of the psalm. God speaks directly to us in verse 10. You can see it in the quotation marks. He lifts his voice and the earth melts. Now he lifts his voice and our hearts are strengthened (v. 10).
“Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!”
Here it is! This is the truth we need. The psalm has captured the raging chaos and the dangers so well. Now it brings peace to our hearts. Be still. Just stop letting your mind race with all your scenarios and all of your plans and arguments and (perhaps) excuses. Be still and know me. Know who I am. Know that I am God. But don’t just know who I am. Know my plan. Know my purpose and my power to fulfill my plan. Know this: I will be exalted everywhere. Every place you see right now and think I could never go there—I will be exalted there. Anywhere on the earth you could go, I will be exalted there: among the nations in the earth. That is the point that God speaks directly to us.
Main Point of This Psalm
Be still and know God’s person and God’s plan. Know his power to fulfill his plan: He will be exalted everywhere.
Do you know where all history is heading?
The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.—Habakkuk 2:14
Do you love the “I shall’s” or “I will’s” of Scripture? Because of who he is, God’s kingdom will come and his will will be done and his Name will be hallowed.
But how does God deal with the rebellion—rebel nations with rebel people with rebel hearts? We have weapons that can take those rebel thoughts captive that are raised up against the knowledge of God.
For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.—2 Corinthians 10:4–5
Do you hear it? The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord. It is not filled with it now. It is a war. It is a knowledge war that is really a worship war. God has given us weapons that are not based on our ability (of the flesh). These weapons have divine power to destroy strongholds. The word of God lays siege to every kingdom and every nation and its strongholds. The word of God takes on their arguments and every lofty mountain or tower of opinion raised against the knowledge of God—we tear it down and then capture those thoughts and make them obey the Lordship of Christ.
God’s voice can calm the strongest storm or melt the strongest uprising. He speaks a word into the raging sea of rebellion in the human heart.
And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.—2 Corinthians 2:4–6
Do you see it? God can shine in the heart to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. When we preach the gospel in the power of prayer and the Spirit of God, we know God can speak. He can take the darkest heart in the deepest raging rebellion and say: Let there be light—let light shine out of darkness. Rebel against Jesus no longer. See him. See his glory and beauty. Now you will know him. You will see him as he really is. You will no longer radically rage against him, but radically love him and bow before him and give your life to him. That is the gospel hope firmly fixed in the plan of God to be exalted everywhere through the gospel and the sword of the Spirit.
Unbelievers
Some of you right now have a battle raging in your heart. Some of you are in rebellion against God. You have not bowed the knee to King Jesus. I am praying right now in this very moment that as I speak, God would speak directly to your hearts and create light and life and open your eyes for the first time to see who Jesus is. See him and love him in worship forever. When you see what the King has done for you—how he won you was to give his own life to save you from eternal suffering—it will not feel like a chore to believe in him and to give yourself to him … but like trembling worship: “I don’t know what the rest of my life will look like in the short run—what you will call me to do, but I know what it will look like in the long run, the eternal run! I will be with you forever. Forever. No more tears. No more night. No more wars. Peace with you. No more sin. Perfect love for you. And until then, you are with me always. Whatever you ask me to do, you will be with me and empower me to do it.
Believers
Right now, we can’t help but think of all the places in our world where there are people who are in different situations than the one we just heard here. Unbelievers here have access to Jesus—access to places where he is proclaimed and access to people who work with him who can tell them about him. Right now for Global Focus, we can’t help think of the places where he is not just unloved, but unknown. That is what breaks our heart. Many don’t even know him. They have never heard. And they won’t hear without someone to tell them.
For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.—Romans 10:13–17
They won’t know him unless someone tells them. And no one will them unless God calls some. Maybe right here and right now. God, call some!
Maybe some of you are trembling right now and your hearts are racing with fears. I am his. I told him I am his. But … what if he calls me away from here to go somewhere else? I will have to leave my friends and my family and job and everything that is familiar. Here is the truth. Your friends and your family and your job and all that is familiar—all those things are good, but they are not your refuge. You would not be leaving your refuge. Jesus is not a tribal deity. He says Go and make disciples—indeed make worshipers of all the nations—and I am with you always, even to the end of the age. You never have to leave your refuge. Wherever you go, he will be there. Wherever you go, you can know his plan and purpose and power to be exalted there—to be worshipped there like you worship him here.
Come to God boldly asking for one thing: to know him. Before we think about going anywhere else or doing anything else, be still and know him! Know that he is God. Know his power and his plan. Only he can still the raging of your heart. We don’t just want him to be our refuge and strength so that we can be safe— but so that we can see! In that place, we see him. He know him.
Pray to him right now. Lord, please help us to see the fortress and strength that you are. Hebrews 12:28–29 gives a picture of coming to Mount Zion and the City of the Living God:
Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.
Let us hear our Lord Jesus once again in his Great Commission call us to go and make disciples, but let us hear him say again that he has all authority and power and we have his presence: I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Ask him to speak into the chaos of our lives once again today! Speak to the waters and tell them to “be still” once more. Change our hearts so we confidently say, “Be still my soul; even the wind and waves know the voice of him who called them.”
Do we believe that God would be exalted everywhere? What would happen if we as a people believed that in our sending and going?! What about parents and grandparents who have to let their kids and grandkids go to these places where there is chaos, wars, and rumors of wars. Do you trust the Lord with those kids and grandkids?
Conclusion
Do we trust him with our lives and the lives of our children and grandchildren? I remember a story of a family member while we were in Ethiopia. My heart felt so heavy because I knew that Cara and I had brought our daughters to Ethiopia. They were away from their friends. It was a new environment. Everything was different. Would this move be so hard on them that it would be spiritually and emotionally detrimental? We would sometimes hear them cry because it was hard. One night I heard one of them crying and I went into the bedroom to try and console them. I was unprepared for what I heard: Daddy, do you remember when you shared that story in Bible study about the Shepherd who goes after the little wandering sheep and is so happy to find the sheep that he puts the sheep on his shoulders and returns rejoicing? Yes, I remember. She said: Daddy, everything is going to be okay. Jesus spoke to me. He told me I was that sheep. And he was that Shepherd. He has me.
And in those words, Jesus spoke to me too. Don’t forget. I have you, too. Did you forget that I am here? Did you forget that I am with you always? Let us know him and know his plan to be exalted everywhere so we can go anywhere.
Outline
Main Point: Be still and know God’s person and God’s plan. Know his power to fulfill his plan: God will be exalted everywhere.
Discussion Questions
Application Questions
Prayer Focus
Pray for a grace to be still and know the Lord. Pray for greater communion and fellowship. Pray for a deeper understanding of his power and plan.