 God is our refuge and strength, a helper who is always found in times of trouble. Therefore we will not be afraid, though the earth trembles and the mountains topple into the depths of the seas, though its water roars and foams and the mountains quake with its turmoil. Psalm 46:1-3 TIMES ARE TROUBLING Another day and more trouble. Shootings, petty theft, political conflict, misunderstandings between co-workers, friends and family. My own struggle with sin…there’s enough going on each day to cause our hearts to melt, our emotions tank and our head to reason based on our feelings and experience that everything is ruined beyond repair. You’re not wrong-things are a mess. Depravity is daily on display in our world and in our own lives. There’s something that calls out in each of us, maybe quietly, maybe shouting - “It shouldn’t be like this!” But it is and we can’t escape it. WHERE DO I SEEK SAFETY Our human nature compels us to seek safety, security and stability. We were not created for chaos-but into chaos we were thrust when sin ripped us from the garden-the peaceful dwelling place God intended for us to live without care or concerns. So we seek safe harbor in other things….
DECLARE TO YOURSELF - I WILL NOT FEAR We spend way too much time listening to ourselves instead of instructing ourselves. In the Psalms these phrases regularly occur; “I will say to myself” “I will counsel my heart.” “I will declare.” These declarations are not merely puffed up positivism, the are based in the reality of the character and work of God. Note, verse 1 of Psalm 46; “God is our refuge and strength, a helper who is always found in times of trouble. Therefore we will not be afraid…. I don’t have to be afraid because of who God is and what he does. ALL WE SEE IS SHAKING AND CRUMBLING There’s no way to sugarcoat what’s happening in the world, particularly our immediate, known to us world. I stop watching the news, and everytime I dial back in, things seem worse than when I last checked out. New ways of doing wrong and evil spring up like weeds that can’t be killed. Trusted institutions becoming untrustworthy, laws that go unenforced are now easily broken and become meaningless. People on opposing sides can’t speak civilly or logically to one another. Power, slander and subterfuge are the currency of the day. CEASE YOUR STRUGGLE - SEE THE LORD We are fighting non-physical spiritual enemies whose battle tactics are beyond our ability to fully comprehend or curtail in our own strength. But we are not without hope or remedy. We have a God that reigns above the chaos. He is the exalted ruler over all the nations of the earth. He is with us. When the nations rage, the news is bad, the heartache and brokenness real, stop fighting and focus your eyes on the Sovereign, Strong and Secure Lord. “Stop fighting, and know that I am God, exalted among the nations, exalted on the earth.” The Lord of Armies is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold. Psalm 96:11
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