Vs:1 God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Vs:2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; Vs:3 Though its waters roar and foam, Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. Selah. Vs:4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, The holy dwelling places of the Most High. Vs:5 God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. Vs:6 The nations made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered; He raised His voice, the earth melted. Vs:7 The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah. Vs:8 Come, behold the works of the Lord, Who has wrought desolations in the earth. Vs:9 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. Vs:10 “Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Vs:11 The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭46‬:‭1‬-‭11‬ NASB

(1) Believe or Don’t: When trouble strikes, Father GOD is sufficient to get us through it. No problem, whether emotional, physical, or spiritual, is too big for our God. If we will learn to take refuge in Him and lean on Him alone for strength, then with the psalmist we can face the most extreme crises with quiet confidence, because God is with us and He is sufficient. But we would be in error if we thought that God insulates us from problems. The psalm makes it clear that trouble will strike the godly!

(2) FIRST: “FATHER GOD—is our REFUGE,” and that is a fact! However, it does not mean that we are immune from troubles and problems. A God-fearing life is not a trouble-free life. We need to be clear on this because many false teachers today claim that it is God’s will for every person to enjoy prosperity and perfect health. They teach that since Jesus has promised to answer the prayer of faith, all that stands between you and material prosperity and physical health is your lack of faith.

(3) Confess it as yours by faith, and it’s yours, according to their heresy. But the Bible teaches no such thing. It teaches that God is our help in trouble, not that He will exempt us from trouble. The psalm mentions catastrophic trouble: global changes (46:2), severe earthquakes and storms (46:2–3), and wars (46:6–9). Hebrews 11:35–38 mentions all sorts of terrible trials which faithful believers have had to face: being homeless, without proper clothing and food…

(4) …also mockings, torture, beatings, imprisonment, and various forms of cruel execution. God does not protect Christians from this sort of thing. When a plane goes down, God does not make sure that there are no Christians aboard. When war ravages a country, God does not preserve the believers from its effects. God does not allow cancer to strike only those who have lived a life of sin. No, trouble will strike the godly as well as the ungodly. The question is, when…

(5) …trouble strikes, do we want to face it with Father God as our refuge and strength or do we want to find help elsewhere? This is what we do when trouble strikes. SECOND: “FATHER GOD—is SUFFICIENT” to get us through. This principle falls into three sections: Father GOD is our refuge against all that rages in nature (46:1–3). Also, our God is the resource against the raging of nations (46:8–11). Father God is the ruler over every rebel of this earth.

(6) In Him, God is the refuge against the raging of nature. The psalmist pictures one of the most frightening and catastrophic natural disasters imaginable: an earthquake so severe that the mountains slip into the heart of the sea. In California, those who lived in the mountains used to joke about how, after “the Big One” hits, they would have beachfront property. But the psalmist is picturing a quake so big that the mountains get swallowed up by the sea! He is saying that in the worst disaster…

(7) …we can imagine, in Him, God is sufficient as our refuge and strength so that we need not be terrified. As our refuge, we can flee to God and find relief and comfort. As our strength, we discover that His strength is made perfect in our weakness as we trust in Him. “And He has said to us, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.’ Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.” ‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭12‬:‭9‬

(8) Father God’s protection and strength are immediately available (“a very present help”) the instant we turn to Him. While He may delay delivering us to show us our absolute need for Him or for reasons we can’t understand, we can always have immediate comfort and calm when we flee to God for refuge and strength. During an earthquake a few years ago, the inhabitants of a small village were alarmed by the quake, but also surprised at the calmness and apparent joy of an old woman whom they all knew.

(9) At length one of them asked, “Are you not afraid?” “No,” she replied, “I rejoice to know that I have a God who can shake the world.” Whatever personal catastrophe we face—a major health problem, the death of a loved one, the loss of our job, emotional problems, relational conflicts, or all of that not mentioned—Father God is bigger than any of our problems. He is readily available to help if we will take refuge in Him and trust in His strength, our resource against the raging of nations.

(10) “There is a river…” Jerusalem is one of the few ancient cities not built on a river. Ancient cities needed water close at hand, especially during a siege. When Billy Bob (Sennacherib) attacked Jerusalem, he was sure that their lack of water would ultimately drive them to surrender. But unknown to Billy Bob, Jerusalem had a source of water. Wise King Hezekiah had built an underground tunnel which secretly brought water 1,777 feet through solid rock from the spring of Gihon to the pool of Siloam.

(11) That little stream supplied all of their needs during the siege. That river is a picture of the greater spiritual resource of the Lord Himself: “God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved.” (46:5) He is the living water who alone can quench our spiritual thirst. He is the God who is powerful enough to quell the uproar of the nations by simply raising His voice (46:6). Jesus told the woman at the well: “Whoever drinks the water that I shall give them shall never thirst; but the water I shall give them shall become a well of water springing up to eternal life.” John 4:14

(12) Jesus also said, “If anyone is thirsty, let them come to Me and drink.” Those of us who believe in Me, Jesus told the woman at the well: “Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give them shall never thirst; but the water I shall give them shall become in them a well of water springing up to eternal life.” John 4:14 Jesus also said, “If anyone is thirsty, let them come to Me and drink.”

(13) FIRST: “FATHER GOD—is our REFUGE.”
SECOND: “FATHER GOD—is SUFFICIENT.”
THIRD: “FATHER GOD—is our STRONGHOLD.”

Why refer to the God of Jacob as our stronghold? Why not refer to Him as the God of Abraham, the great man of faith? Or why not at least refer to Him as the God of Israel, the name given to Jacob after he strived with God and prevailed? Do you remember that Jacob means “supplanter” or “deceiver”?

(14) Jacob was a conniving schemer. Why refer to the God of Jacob as our stronghold? Know Him as the Lord of hosts. “Hosts” refers both to the heavenly bodies (the universe) and to the angels. Our God spoke this vast universe into existence and rules over the billions of stars and planets. He is the Lord of all of the armies of heaven. With short, crashing phrases that hit like hammer blows, the psalmist shows us the might of our God: “The nations made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered; He raised His voice, the earth melted.” (46:6)

(15) “The Lord of hosts is with us.” (46:7) God is not some feeble, senile old man with a long white beard, sitting in heaven worried about the rebellion of man. He is mighty! One of the errors psychology has brought into the church is to try to build people’s self-esteem by telling them, “Christ died for you because you were worthy.” Not so! He died for you while you were an unworthy sinner. But the good news is, if He chose you apart from your…

(16) …worthiness, He will keep you and enable you to persevere unto the day of Christ because He is the God of Jacob. So you can depend on Him, even if you’ve failed, if you know Him as the God of Jacob. His help in a time of trouble is not conditioned on your great strength, but on His great grace. When you are insufficient (which is always), depend on the Lord of Hosts and the God of Jacob as your refuge. Draw on Him as your resource.

(17) If you know Christ as your Savior, then you have His life within you. His Holy Spirit is that river of life, sufficient for your every need. He is that “river whose streams make glad the city of God.” (46:4) Draw on Him. How? Drink from Him daily. You have the Holy Spirit of God dwelling in you! You are “a holy dwelling place of the Most High God.” (46:4) You are privileged to be able to draw upon His strength daily. He refreshes us. He brings gladness and joy. Do you drink from Him daily?

(18) Do you have a time when you meet alone with Him in the Word and in prayer? Do you walk each day in conscious dependence upon Him, confessing your sin and yielding to His way? The river is there, but you’ve got to drink daily or you’ll dry up spiritually.

FIRST: “FATHER GOD—is our REFUGE.”
SECOND: “FATHER GOD—is SUFFICIENT.”
THIRD: “FATHER GOD—is our STRENGTH.”