God - Our Ever-Present Help in Trouble

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=50 BGCOLOR="#333366" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>God - Our Ever-Present Help in Trouble</B></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=165 BGCOLOR="#CCCC99" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="132" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 35 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id490.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Taking Time To Give Thanks"><U><B><IMG SRC="007151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id461.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Cost of Freedom"><U><B><IMG SRC="008151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="20"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="35" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="20" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="13"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="27"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <div> Previous/Next Sermon</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="www.stanbaker.org"><U><B>Home</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id2.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Biblical and Theological Studies"><U><B>Biblical and Theological Studies</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Church Ministry"><U><B>Church Ministry</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id15.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sermon Notes"><U>Sermon Notes</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id4.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U><B>Links</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id5.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Personal"><U><B>Personal</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> www.stanbaker.org</div> <div> <A HREF="mailto:stan@stanbaker.org" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:stan@stanbaker.org"><U>stan@stanbaker.org</U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=430 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>"God - Our Ever-Present Help in Trouble," </B><A HREF="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passage=Psalm+46:1-11" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passag"><U><B>Psalm 46:1-11</B></U></A></div> <div> <B>Berean Bible Church, September 12, 2004</B></div> <bR> <div>      In an article in <I>Fast Company</I> magazine in June 2003, Anne Kreamer commented on the reality TV craze. She wrote, "...Contrary to conventional cultural criticism, reality television does not represent the end of civilization as we know it. As inspirationally bereft as ABC's <I>Are You Hot</I> , Fox's <I>The Glutton Bowl</I>  food show, NBC's Playboy <I>Fear Factor</I>, and the E network's Anna Nicole Smith series are, the frenzied popularity of this programming isn't difficult to understand: It's a way Americans can self-medicate. Obsessing over Michael Jackson's gothic lunacy or zooming in on the sweet pathetic nobodies on American Idol  helps distract us from thinking and fretting about terrorism and the messiness of post-Iraqi-liberation all the time. ... I think real reality is so complicated and nervous-making right now that TV is giving us spectacularly inconsequential human comedy and calling it "reality." In some postmodern torque of irony, reality TV lets us keep our minds off of reality..."</div> <div>      So many look for escape from the day-to-day stress and we find it "reality TV." But it is nothing like the reality we face in our day-to-day lives. There are times when the limits of our comfort zones are stretched beyond what we think is reasonable. Various kinds of troubles: 9-11, nation at war, under threat of terrorist attack; hurricanes; financial difficulties; health needs; grief because of losing a loved one; family struggles; stress and conflicts on the job; broken friendships; personal struggles with purity, morality, and discipline.</div> <div>      God is present to help, even in the most difficult of circumstances.<B> </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>I. God is present to help in catastrophes in nature (Psalm 46:1-3 ).</B></div> <div> 46:1 - Have you had a sense of being abandoned by God? We may think: "I have troubles, therefore God must not be present." The text says <B>God is present </B><I><B>in</B></I><B> troubles</B>. He offers help that is there when you need it. He is our fortress  / refuge / secure shelter / bunker / place to hide where we can be safe and secure.</div> <div> 46:2-3 -  Gerald Wilson wrote, "What he describes is not just an earthquake such as have recently devastated parts of the world. It is rather the dissolution of the world and life as we know it in what amounts to a moment of un-creation. At creation, God placed boundaries on the chaotic waters, restricting them so that dry land could appear and provide living space for animals and humans. Here the psalmist is declaring that even if the chaotic waters were to break forth and dissolve creation order back into chaos, there would be no reason for fear" (<I>Psalms, vol 1</I>, NIV Application Commentary, p. 721.4).</div> <div>      God at creation established boundaries for the waters and the land and mountains. Should all of that change, we still trust God, because <B>our source of confidence is never in his creation, it is in him, the Creator!</B></div> <div>      What about "we will not fear"? We <I>do</I> fear, and we would be crazy not to. It seems to be worry and fear <I>without confidence</I>. But what is the source of our confidence? Debilitating fear can be conquered by confidence in the ever-present God.</div> <bR> <div> <B>II. God is present to help in conflicts among the peoples of the earth (Psalm 46:4-7).</B></div> <div> 46:4 - This is a picture of calm, serenity, peace, where everything that is needed is provided (a calm river and irrigation canals bringing life resources to those in the city). It describes the presence of God, at that time represented by Jerusalem and the Temple (the temple is where the people would go to meet with God and worship him).</div> <div> 46:5 - Though the mountains may fall and be destroyed, the city of God, the place of his presence, will not fail or be destroyed. <B>His help comes quickly</B>, "at the break of day," first thing in the morning. He doesn't sleep in, eat a leisurely breakfast, read the news on the internet, take care of a few things, and then show up, when you needed him first thing in the morning!</div> <div> 46:6 - The world is in a mess; the authorities, the kingdoms, are not able an provide the ultimate source of confidence. God is in control.</div> <div> 46:7 - "The Lord almighty is with us . . ." This is our basic confession, and we must confess it, even when it seems like the whole world is falling apart.</div> <bR> <div> <B>III. Be still and become aware of the presence of the ever-present God (Psalm 46:8-11).</B></div> <div> 46:8-9 - We are invited to look ahead. This seems to be a look into the future, to the time when he makes right all of the wrongs on the earth. Violence, wars, conflicts, selfishness, pain, terror will one day cease on the earth. </div> <div> 46:10 - But what about now? Be still, and know that he is God. Be still, cease and desist, "stop striving" (NET Bible). He will one day be exalted by all. Stop and exalt him know ("exalted" means lifted high, respected and followed as the authority, honored as the one and only one worthy of worship.) We must recall and recount the works of the Lord, in the past, the present, and in the promises of the future.</div> <div> 46:11 - Again, "The Lord almighty is with us . . ." Hold on to that.</div> <bR> <div>      Notice Jesus' perspective of life on earth from Matthew 6:25. Don't worry and fret, is not life more than food and clothing? <I><B>There is more to life than life on earth.</B></I> Jesus went to the cross and died at the age of 33, and shortly after his resurrection, he ascended to heaven - the value and quality of his life was not limited to his life, his 33 years, on earth.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Questions for Thought and Discussion:</B></div> <div> 1. Name 10 things that show you God is present in your life today. Don't overlook seemingly obvious things, because they may be things you have taken for granted. If you can't think of 10 things now, watch for them throughout the day. Don't forget to thank God for those things.</div> <bR> <div> 2. God has given us many promises about the future. List your present fears, and look into the Word of God for promises that address those fears. Can you think of any of the top of your head?</div> <bR> <div> 3. Life is short, and death is a part of our reality. What are you doing now that has eternal value? What <I>can</I> you do, based on the experiences God has entrusted to you? How can you make your life count?</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> copyright, 2004, Stanley Baker</div> <div> www.stanbaker.org</div> </td> </tr></table></body>