“A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”
Psalm 46
July 26, 2020
For the director of
music. Of the Sons of Korah. According to alamoth. A song.
1 God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
an ever-present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
5 God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.
6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
5 God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.
6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
7 The Lord
Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
8 Come and see what the Lord
has done,
the desolations he has brought on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease
to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields with fire.
10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
the desolations he has brought on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease
to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields with fire.
10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
11 The Lord
Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Introduction:
Our world is in a state of constant change. If the earth is not fixed, then
where can we be anchored, where can we stand firm? Psalm 46 answers this
question. In the instability and insecurities of life, God is our strength and
security (46:1). This Psalm was
the inspiration for the great hymn by Martin Luther, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.”
How is God
our refuge, our unfailing “helper,” our security in a changing world?
1. God
shelters and strengthens us in times of adversity (46:1-3)
8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not
crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted,
but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed (2 Corinthians 4:8-9).
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,
whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because
you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may
be mature and complete, not lacking anything (James 1:2-4).
2. God
secures his people for the future (46:4-7)
But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which
the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with
fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up
[laid bare] (2 Peter 3:10, NKJV).
“That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire,
and the elements will melt in the heat. 13 But
in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new
earth, where righteousness dwells (2
Pet. 3:12-13).
3. God
silences all evil and summons us to acknowledge him (46:8-11)
“Be still,
and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted
in the earth” (Psalm 46:10).
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