Know He is God!

Psalm 46:1-3 NASB

God is our refuge and strength,

A very present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change

And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea;

Though its waters roar and foam,

Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. Selah.

Our Refuge and Strength

What one of us never has trouble? I think we all do sometimes, and some of us more often than not. Sometimes it is just a matter of not knowing which way to go or what to do, and having to make serious decisions with regard to our futures.

Other times it is facing opposition and obstacles to our walks of faith, or in ministry, and it is the difficulty of knowing exactly how best to respond to our circumstances with God’s grace.

Some of us, as well, may be faced with severe persecution and resistance to our testimonies for Jesus Christ, and so we need strength and wisdom from God and deliverance, too, from our enemies, so that we can endure, and so that we can continue in the work to which God has called us.

Others of us may be faced with financial hardships, or disease or injury, or we may have just lost someone we loved to death or to divorce, or we may be experiencing the loss of reputation due to false accusations, too. And, the list goes on and on as to the types of troubles which may face any of us.

But, we are not without hope or resource when we go through these hard times, if we have faith in God and we believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and as Savior of our lives. Our Lord is our help, and he is our strength, and we can depend on him to give us all we need to endure, to persevere, and to keep walking by faith and not by sight.

So, no matter what it is that we are facing right now, our Lord will see us through it all, and he will grow us in our faith for his glory and for our good. So, we don’t ever have to be afraid of what is coming or what is happening or what might happen, either. For, God is still on the throne, and he is still in control, and he’s got this! We just have to rest in him and keep the faith.

Psalm 46:4-7 NASB

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,

The holy dwelling places of the Most High.

God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved;

God will help her when morning dawns.

The nations made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered;

He raised His voice, the earth melted.

The Lord of hosts is with us;

The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.

Not Moved!

The holy dwelling of the Most High God is within the hearts of those who have made Jesus Christ their trust; who have died with Christ to sin, and who have been resurrected with Christ to newness of life in Him.

We, the church, are now the Holy City of God. We are heavenly Jerusalem, the children of promise, the people of God (See: Gal. 4:22-31).

It is us, his church, his bride, with whom he is in our midst. We will not be moved from our faith in Him, and from our testimonies for Him, and from the truth of God’s Word, when we place our faith and trust in the Lord and not in ourselves or in other humans to be our hope.

For, God will help us each and every day to face our giants with faith and determination to remain steadfast in faith and purpose and hope. He will fill us with his joy, hope, peace, patience, endurance and wisdom.

He will help us to focus on Him and not on the waves crashing all around us. He will help us to keep on singing and praising him even in the storms of life, because he is our stronghold, not the things of this world.

Psalm 46:8-11 NASB

Come, behold the works of the Lord,

Who has wrought desolations in the earth.

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.

“Cease striving 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 stronghold. Selah.

So, Stop Worrying!

Our God is absolutely sovereign and in control over all that he has made. Nothing can thwart his plans and purposes, and nothing is more powerful than him so as to overcome him. No weapons waged against him and no enemy known to man can outsmart him or outdo him. So, we never need to be afraid of anything or anyone.

What God has said that he will do will be done, no matter what. All that has been prophesied with regard to these last days is being and will be fulfilled. He can handle anything that comes our way, because he already has a plan and a purpose for it in our lives and for what he wants to do in us and through us because of it or in spite of it.

If our enemy is coming against us, we just need to pray, trust, believe, and call on God to help us. Sometimes all I could do was just cry “Help!” and God came to the rescue. And, we need to daily put on that spiritual armor which God has supplied us (Eph. 6:10-20) and daily be dying to sin and self by the power of the Holy Spirit living within us.

So, we need to cease striving, and know that He is God!

Do we get this? Do we really get this? We need to stop worrying and sweating the details or trying to fix things ourselves or wondering what we are going to do if such and such happens.

Sometimes my mind starts racing ahead and the Holy Spirit pulls in the reins and says “Whoa!” And, he reminds me that he has this handled and that I need to walk by faith and not by sight, and that I need to just trust him. And, I know that I can trust him, because he has proven himself faithful, and because I know who He is and what He can do, but sometimes I still need to be reminded.

So, we need to cease striving, and know that He is God!

Be Still 

An Original Work / February 29, 2012

Based off Psalm 37 and 46

God’s our refuge and our strength,

An ever-present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear,

Though the mountains fall into the sea.

The Lord Almighty is with us;

God of Jacob is our fortress.

“Be still, and know that I am God;

Exalted I’ll be.”

Trust in the Lord and do good;

And delight yourself in the Lord,

And He will give you your heart’s desires.

Commit your way to the Lord.

Trust in Him and He will do this:

He will make your righteousness shine

Like the dawn, the justice of your

Cause – the noon-day sun.

Be still before the Lord,

And wait patiently for Him; do not fear.

Fretting only leads to evil.

Put your hope in Jesus Christ.

If the Lord delights in your way,

He makes your steps firm and steady.

The Lord upholds you with His hand,

So you will not fall.

https://vimeo.com/125494284

Friday, August 10, 2018 – Thank You, God, for this reminder of your power, your sovereignty, and your care and watch over us, and that we do not need to ever be afraid, but that we are to rest in You always for all things. Amen!